S 2015 12 03

A sex worker’s story 08 third mAyorAl cAndidAte 11

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Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

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Volume 27, iSSue 33

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thurSday, december 3, 2015

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Marianas Trench Stick Figure Never Shout Never Granger Smith Mickey Avalon & Dirt Nasty Geoff Tate: Operation: Mindcrime Keys N Krates Brian Fallon & The Crowes Cradle of Filth Mute Math Mike Stud Tonight Alive & Set It Off Ciara

EditoR’S NotE

dEcEmbER 3, 2015 | Vol. 27, iSSuE 33

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27 Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Co-editors Rachel Leibrock, Nick Miller Staff Writers Janelle Bitker, Raheem F. Hosseini Assistant Editor Anthony Siino Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Jim Carnes, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Cosmo Garvin, Blake Gillespie, Lovelle Harris, Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Garrett McCord, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka

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Design Services Manager Anne Lesemann Art Director Hayley Doshay Associate Art Director Brian Breneman Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Marketing/Publications Design Manager Serene Lusano Custom Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Evan Duran, Wes Davis, Luke Fitz, Taras Garcia, Michael Miller, Bobby Mull, Shoka, Darin Smith, Lauran Worthy

Director of First Impressions David Lindsay Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley, Mike Cleary, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, John Cunningham, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Garry Foster, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Greg Meyers, Kenneth Powell, Gilbert Quilatan, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Mark Shelton, Jonathan Taea

Director of Sales and Advertising Corey Gerhard Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Olla Swanson, Joy Webber, Kelsi White Advertising Consultants Joseph Barcelon, Meghan Bingen, Angel DeLaO, Stephanie Johnson, Dave Nettles, Lee Roberts, Elena Ruiz, Julie Sherry Sales Assistant Matt Kjar Director of Et Cetera Will Niespodzinski Custom Publications Editor Michelle Carl Custom Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer Custom Publications Writers Kate Gonzales, Anne Stokes Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara

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Last month, watching news on the Islamic State’s attacks in Paris, I thought to myself, “I’m surprised such terrorist attacks don’t really happen here.”

Of course, I was wrong. Very wrong.

Such attacks do happen in the United States. And with increasing frequency.

The June massacre of AfricanAmerican parishioners at a Charleston church. The July mass shooting at a movie theater in Lafayette.

The deadly November 27 attack at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic.

It’s been reported that the motives for all three attacks were rooted in political beliefs: white supremacist politics, anti-feminist ideology and anti-abortion fanaticism.

That’s domestic terrorism.

The term, as laid out by the FBI, fits: Domestic terrorism is characterized as acts that “appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.” Some are cautious to use the terminology, preferring instead “hate crime” and citing a need for proof of ties to larger, structured organizations.

But terrorism is terrorism, whether it’s conducted by a group or an individual and whether it’s carried out with guns or explosives. Besides, in all the cases mentioned above it seems as though the individual, even if acting alone, was moved to action by a broader political group-think.

That’s terrorism, domestic or otherwise.

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“There are parenTs who can’T afford The bills.”

askEd at 16th and J strEEts:

If you had $1 million to fix something in Sac …

Eliana VasquE z

yEsEnia riVEr a

ParnJit Janda

JEwEll kidd

tony dr agaVon

Julian VasquE z

student

journalist

nurse

manager

manager

mom

I would want to give to children’s hospitals, especially for children with cancer. There are parents who can’t afford the bills.

I know how hard it is to make your bills. I don’t have a daughter that has that condition, but I am a mom. I have a child and I can’t imagine how hard it must be.

Help small-business owners.

I believe a lot of them work hard to get where they are at, but it is hard to stay up.

It is definitely the fees to start. Then when you are up, you have to pay back all of those loans. I think it would be great to help the family-owned business.

I would probably fix the library downtown. I would update all of the computers to a newer version. This would make it easier for people to use, for speed and flexibility. I would update the models. It needs modern software.

I don’t know about fixing anything, but what I would contribute to would be the volunteers and the homeless. I saw volunteers cleaning up after the homeless people on the river. I would help them help the underprivileged, the socioeconomic underdogs.

I don’t think $1 million is enough to fix the issues here. If I had that kind money, [I’d use it] for homeless shelters … for food and shelter. I know there is a lot of crime in the Midtown, downtown area.

I have been working down here 18 years.

I would fix the Regional Transit system. It is just amazing how inefficiently it works. Sometimes the next bus isn’t coming or it is an hour or more late, and there is no explanation. No one tells you what is going on or when things are going to be running on schedule again.

They really need to put some money towards the transit.

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Email lEttErs to sactolEttErs@nEwsrEviEw.com.

Weak food-stamps reporting Re “The dinner game” by Nick Miller (SN&R Feature Story, November 26): The problem with all of these so called “challenges”—I remember Cory Booker doing something similar years ago—is that it reinforces a longstanding myth that you should be able to survive on “food stamps.”

CalFresh or SNAP is true to its name, it is intended to be supplemental, not to provide your entire food budget.

CalFresh is an important and necessary program that serves the very neediest of our society; it would be refreshing if someone would do some accurate reporting and try to fact check stories people tell them.

Daniel Witherell r eddi ng

Botched, hardly!

Re “Metal heads” by Jason Smith (SN&R News, November 19): The term “botched” is hardly the correct term for this travesty. Judges and juries routinely confer

law-enforcement witnesses with an assumption of credibility. But when undercover agents claim to have “no records, no notes, no tape recordings” of transactions that allegedly formed the basis of a criminal complaint, one has to wonder.

That “evidence” was the very basis of an arrest warrant to begin with. If the “evidence” never existed then the warrant was based on lies. How often does this happen? How would we have any idea, since most defendants just roll over?

When it comes down to a question of whether to believe cops or (alleged) crooks, the average person is going to opt to believe officers and their informants (employees).

But who are jurors supposed to believe when the cops are crooks and the prosecution knows that but still goes forward with a case?

Neil Cook Berkeley

How many homeless?

Re “20,000 homeless in Sacramento” by Ronald Javor (SN&R Letters, November 19): Great over-the-top letter

by Ron Javor. He says the

county supes are doing “less than needed to save lives as a monster El Niño begins.”

Hmm … all the coverage I hear is that there very likely will be an El Niño, probably big, but no one knows how big and where it will actually hit.

And he knows people will die.

His certainty is breathtaking.

Then, he says “county’s schools” have reported 12,000 homeless children in attendance last year. Following Rahm Emanuel’s famous “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste” advice, he blithely speculates that 20,000 children would be more like it. Doing some rudimentary math: If all the kids are single-parented, that gives you about 20,000 adults, plus 2,000 or so single adults with no kids; he would have us believe there are at least 42,000 homeless in the county.

You’d think homeless advocates would have learned after their Time magazine

advertising debacle of a few years back, where they ran a full-page ad that there were 10,000 to 20,000 homeless children in Sacramento. When challenged, local advocates that produced the ad hemmed and hawed, tried some magical thinking in connection with the numbers they used to make their startling revelation, and wound up embarrassing the city and county and all homeless supporters. Here it is a few years later and it is being tried again by someone who should know better.

SN&R should go to Javor’s vague “county schools” sources and do an article on what the numbers he cites really mean. I am willing to stand corrected. Is he?

Paul Tsamtsis Sacramento

Nothing pro-life about extremists Re “The right to lose” by Raheem Hosseini (SN&R Feature Story, November 12): There’s nothing pro-life about anti-abortion religious extremists and crazies who get in women’s faces day in and day out and who kill innocent victims at a whim.

These pro-life political activists who have embedded themselves in the Republican and Tea Party are great at pointing fingers at abortion providers and women, screaming “murderers” while one of their own ilk goes on a killing spree. What a bunch of hypocrites.

Ron Lowe Nevada City

12.03.15 | SN&R | 7

Monroe looked to the FBI and WEAVE for help, but says law enforcement cared more about building a case against her former pimp than helping her escape the world of sex work.

ILLUSTRATION BY jONAThAN BUck

Gone girl Monroe came to Sacramento to escape the world of sex work— then she vanished

by Raheem F. hosseini

The dread is familiar to Kristen DiAngelo.

During her former career as an escort, it repelled her from certain alleys, cars and people. And when a fellow working girl disappeared, it filled in the rest of that story. Today, the dread tells DiAngelo that her friend is gone.

She last heard from the 23-year-old woman in July. Call her cellphone and an automated voice says the number is not in service. Emails disappear into a vacuous cloud. Even more telling, the woman’s escort ads, posted online at regular intervals for weeks, stop dead on the same date: July 28—the day that “Monroe” disappeared.

8 | SN&R | 12.03.15

“Out of the blue,” DiAngelo said, “she was gone.”

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. A sex worker whose childhood friend pimped her between Marin and Los Angeles counties, Monroe (SN&R isn’t revealing her real name due to safety concerns) arrived in Sacramento this spring to escape a life that felt like a single day, replayed on a loop: boxy motel rooms and stubbled faces. A wall stain that looks like a farflung continent. A cigarette that tastes like everywhere else.

“It’s a fast pace of living,” she told SN&R a month before she disappeared.

“There was never a break.”

r a h e e mh @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Somewhere in that blur, Monroe was arrested six times in three months for solicitation, while her pimp evaded apprehension and prevented her from attending court hearings. That led to bench warrants, more arrests, jail time. She was a human-trafficking victim, but her record said something different.

Monroe wanted out. “I just really want to be able to get back into a regular lifestyle,” she said. “Because I miss that. I miss the hell out of school and work.”

In April, she cold-called help lines from her mother’s garage. Finally, a woman with a tattered voice answered. It was DiAngelo, who had recently started a

local chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project, or SWOP, which offers harmreduction services and calls for decriminalizing prostitution.

In May, Monroe relocated to Sacramento to be closer to SWOP and other services. She applied for jobs, housing and aid. She did what the system told her. But doing that just showed Monroe how many doors were closed. Not two months later, she was arranging dates for rent money.

Then, on July 28, she fell off the grid.

DiAngelo knows only a few endings to this story. “This, unfortunately, is very common,” she said, noting that she tries to “remain unattached” to the women she assists. “Because when the people turn up dead, you don’t want to grieve.”

June: exploiTeD

by The sysTem Standing in a McDonald’s parking lot with a cigarette ashing at her side, Monroe gazes through the open car window at her sleeping daughter. It’s been a long journey for them both.

Another sports stAdium? see neWs

When she and her 5-year-old first arrived, they possessed little besides the clothes they wore. WEAVE, Sacramento’s flagship services-provider to domestic-violence survivors, granted Monroe a six-week emergency stay at one of its safe houses, which started the clock ticking on finding long-term housing and a livable—and lawful—wage.

Monroe expressed the desire to go into the legal profession. But that’s difficult with a criminal record, even one obtained under the duress of a pimp who forced her to earn $1,000 a day.

While Monroe added her name to two-year wait lists for affordable housing, she reluctantly considered another option: law enforcement. DiAngelo’s experiences with local authorities, both as an activist and onetime escort, were negative, but she’d recently heard from the FBI’s Office of Victim Assistance regarding another sex worker she tried to help. That sex worker had already left the state to escape an Oak Park pimp, but the victim specialist she spoke to on the phone indicated they could provide services whether Monroe formally reported a crime or not.

According to an FBI spokeswoman, the two-person office provided an “array” of services to more than 660 crime victims last year.

Still, it wasn’t an obvious choice. The FBI was the same agency that last summer seized myRedbook, a website popular among escorts for its scheduling and screening abilities. Sex-worker advocates and publichealth workers say the raid forced poorer sex workers onto the streets, where they’re more vulnerable to predatory violence and disease.

DiAngelo left the decision up to Monroe.

After pondering it for a couple of days, Monroe decided to roll the dice.

“This is all uncharted territory,” DiAngelo said at the time. “But somebody has to go down it or else nothing will change. And [Monroe] decided to go down it.”

Things started well. Monroe says FBI employees supplied her with food and clothing vouchers, and drove her to various government offices so she could replace her ID, obtain Social Security cards and birth certificates, and apply for aid.

Monroe began to think her fears of the agency were unfounded. “I actually had a panic attack before I went,” she said a day after her first meeting with representatives.

“But it was completely different than what I thought. They were dressed normal. They were actually very offering, regardless of whether I gave them information or not.

They were willing to make sure me and my daughter were OK.” The tone changed that night.

She and DiAngelo say FBI officials began pressuring her to give them more information

10

A third mAyorAl cAndidAte see neWs

11

BAd steWArds see GreenliGht

about her ex-pimp, so they could start an Pacing the shoreline of the American investigative file that they might hand over to River, Monroe draws a cigarette down to its local law enforcement. filter and scans the murk. “I just didn’t feel That worried DiAngelo. “If they [locals] comfortable in the [safe] house,” she said. pursue the case, that means he can bond out She stubs out her cigarette. A week later, [of jail] within two hours and be out in the she and her daughter would leave town. street and know she talked,” she said.

Monroe returned to sex work, at first Monroe was also reluctant to disrupt her to help her mom with the rent. Then, a fragile peace, especially without guaranteed few weeks later, she was gone. Her phone protection. It had been nearly a year since number and professional name appeared on she heard from the pimp, who had stalked a website that accused her of snitching to her with threatening phone calls. But the two law enforcement. DiAngelo worried somegrew up in the same small town, knew each one would use the information to “make an other’s families, and he made past statements example of her.” about harming her daughter. “What the hell is “I’m afraid she may be in real trouble,” the point if that’s going to endanger me and she wrote in a text. my child?” she said of working with the FBI. It would be almost four months before Shortly after she explained her reluctance, SN&R learned what kind.

Monroe says she was pulled aside by a WEAVE case manager and told it was in her novemBer: reAdy best interest to cooperate with the FBI. Then, she says, the services started tailing off from to try AGAin both WEAVE and the FBI. “I just felt very A hundred miles from anyone who knows pressured by them two,” she said. “Once I her real name, Monroe answers her cellphone said I wasn’t ready to cooperate, that’s when after months of radio silence. everything just stopped.”

She’s somewhere in the Bay Area—she WEAVE representatives say they can’t asked that SN&R not reveal where, as she’s speak to the specific claims without a signed afraid of being targeted by exploiters and law release from Monroe, but stressed that they enforcement—living and working out never withhold services due to a of a motel room where she meets client’s relationship with law her clients, most of whom enforcement.

“What are businessmen who “Victims are often torn the hell is the pay promptly and don’t when it comes to cooperoverstay their welcomes. point if that’s going ating with a law enforceSome even give her lifts ment investigation and to endanger me and when she needs to get our role is to make sure my child?” somewhere. “Luckily, I they understand their have amazing clients,” rights regardless of their ‘Monroe’ she said. decision,” Executive local sex worker, on whether Things are relatively Director Beth Hassett she should cooperate stable, but not great. “I wrote in an email. “In the with the FBI got robbed not too long ago, end, her level of involvement is which sucked,” she said. It the victim’s choice and we provide happened in San Jose. A guy made services regardless of her relationship to a date, but instead stole her cash and work any open case.” phone. “It’s still a struggle like it was before.”

FBI spokeswoman Gina Swankie declined She’s switched phones and numbers, but SN&R’s requests to interview the agency’s kept the same professional name, even though victim specialists and said she wouldn’t be it appeared on the website that accused her of able to answer specific questions about an snitching. Monroe says these sites have accuongoing investigation. But in an earlier email mulated since federal authorities shuttered correspondence, Swankie defended the twomyRedBook. The sites scrape phone numbers person office. “Trust me, these two ladies do from online escort ads, then post blurbs an amazing amount of work without a single teasing reviews that don’t exist. The blurbs complaint,” she wrote. “Trafficking victims almost always imply that the sex workers are are only one sort of victim they encounter. working directly with law enforcement, which They coordinate services for victims of all of could prove dangerous for the sex workers if the crimes we pursue; truly amazing people.” the blurbs are believed.

Three days after Swankie’s email, Monroe Monroe dismisses the potential danger, says she was approached by the WEAVE saying everyone knows the sites are just case manager. Besides talking up the FBI, trying to scam easy money through clickbait she says she was told to reconsider her close ads. “Cops won’t put us on the Internet like relationship with DiAngelo, to ask herself that,” she reasoned. whether SWOP could provide the same Besides, the safety risk is less pressbreadth of services as WEAVE. ing than the financial one: After all, her

13

professional name is a brand to her clientele, and Monroe lives off commission.

She sends money back home to her mom to help with the bills and her daughter. She misses her kid, but won’t let her be around this environment. She’s exiled herself for her daughter’s sake, she says. And, except for a couple of texts and emails, she’s been reluctant to contact DiAngelo, whom she affectionately calls “Miss Kristen.”

“I basically had to leave because I didn’t want Miss Kristen to worry about me,” Monroe said.

As a result, her world has become small, about the size of a motel room. She’s saving up for a car, though she can’t yet afford to buy her suspended driver’s license out of hock.

Unpaid speeding tickets and red-light infractions have mounted in fines. And she won’t take public transportation because she doesn’t want to risk meeting anyone new. People, she said, just leave her life “more fucked up.”

Her experiences with the FBI and WEAVE soured her on looking to the system for help. The way she sees it, the system used her to build a case. “They kept toying around to get something out of me,” she said. “It kind of felt more like a waste of time.”

That kind of distrust is common among sex workers, acknowledges Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jennifer Rockwell, who oversees a relatively new diversion court that allows sex workers to swap misdemeanor charges for programming and assistance.

“It takes a long time to get out of the life,” Rockwell said. “There is no one single path.”

In September 2014, Monroe spent about seven days in jails in Alameda and Santa Clara counties to take care of her charges.

But she doesn’t know whether she’s currently on probation or has any warrants out. “I’m nervous as hell to get caught,” she said.

Right now, a standard background check reveals that she’s been convicted of multiple prostitution offenses, which has already prevented her from gaining entry-level positions at a daycare, a caregiving facility and a package-delivery service.

But she hasn’t given up. She still thinks about becoming an attorney, so she can help women like her clear their records. Maybe she can get her convictions dismissed on her own.

Maybe she can pay off her fines and get her license back. Maybe she can start over.

“I’m trying my hardest,” she said. The line goes quiet, then scratchy and wet. Monroe lets out a ragged sigh and apologizes for letting her emotions betray her. “It’s hard to talk about. I worry I let people down.”

A week later, the day before Thanksgiving, Monroe calls DiAngelo. It’s a good talk, DiAngelo says. Monroe tells her she’s thinking about returning to Sacramento, about giving the straight life another shot.

She says she’s ready to try again. Ω

12.03.15 | SN&R | 9

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Home field advantage Are we getting an MLS team? Does the city’s soccer stadium deal make sense?

by Nick Miller

nic k a m@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m COURTESY OF SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC

– through December 24th –

H O L I D AY

S A L E

If it’s holiday... it’s here!

The city hopes a nonbinding term sheet for the construction of a downtown soccer stadium will launch the republic Fc into the MlS.

If Sacramento promises to build it, will Major League Soccer come?

That’s what Republic FC owners and city leaders were hoping this week, when city council was poised to approve construction of another downtown home for a local sports team.

But unlike the Kings arena, the Republic’s proposed 25,000-seat stadium would be more or less privately financed—save for infrastructure contributions by the city and $100,000 to pay for project consultants.

This nonbinding Republic soccer stadium term sheet was released the day before Thanksgiving and was scheduled to be voted on just six days later, December 1. That’s not a huge amount of time to marinate on the deal, so here’s a quick rundown on Sac’s soccer stadium strategy: Art Supplies, Gifts, Frames, Calendars, Cards, Toys, Games,

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Taxpayers really aren’t going to pay for a dime of this new stadium?

Sort of. The stadium’s footprint is estimated at 16 acres, and $2.9 million in “public infrastructure benefits” (think roads, lights, sewers) from the city, state and federal governments already has been spent on each acre. That means, technically, the city pitched in $46 million of the stadium’s proposed $226 million price tag. The remainder, $180 million, will be privately financed by the team’s operating group, called Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings LLC. The term sheet doesn’t say whether the team will pay infrastructure fees to offset government contributions.

Is that construction price tag realistic?

Minnesota United FC was granted an expansion team this past year, ahead of Sacramento, and

estimates for the construction of its new stadium in Minneapolis are around $120 million.

In nearby San Jose, the Earthquakes moved into Avaya Stadium this year, which cost $100 million to build.

How much money will the stadium bring in for the city?

The city of Sacramento will take in 50 percent of the stadium parking revenues, for 6,500 spaces, and won’t have to operate the lots during soccer games, concerts and other outdoor events. The city estimates that it will make its investment back from new taxes, fees and development kickstarted by the stadium, which will be located at the northeast end of the vacant railyards lot.

Are we getting a pro soccer team or what?

MLS will only grant Sacramento an expansion team if there’s a league-approved stadium in the region. The term sheet is, again, nonbinding. But it’s the framework of a deal, presumably in good faith, between the city and SSEH. And it’s also the final piece of Mayor Kevin Johnson and the team’s “Operation Turnkey,” a marketing strategy to persuade MLS that Sacramento can handle a pro team. The goal is to open the new stadium in March 2018.

MLS already has a full expansion roster set for 2020, when it will jump to 24 teams in the league from 20. Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Miami are the four new squads—although Miami has yet to lock in a stadium deal, and this week its plan fell apart.

There’s been zero public comment by MLS regarding the addition of more than 24 teams. Ω

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It’s not your grandmother’s Nutcracker!

Good stewards Companies need to pay to clean up their waste by jeff vonkaenel

j e ffv @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

pharmaceutical companies. However, It’s a simple idea: Companies that the pharmaceutical companies sued create waste should pay to clean up Alameda County, charging that this that waste. take-back program, which costs Companies that produce computers, virtually nothing to run in Canada, or chemicals, or cars, or pharmaceutiwould massively increase drug prices cal drugs, should pay the costs of in America. Fortunately, after an recycling or disposing of the products. extended legal battle, Alameda County This is already being required in many prevailed.

European countries. But not always in Now California counties such as the United States.

San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara and Not surprisingly, American compaothers are developing similar plans nies would rather have the taxpayers allowing individuals to drop off their pay for this process. But there are many unused pharmaceutical drugs at local benefits to requiring companies to pharmacies. Oregon is investigating a recycle their own products. Once the similar program. California counties companies have to pay to dispose of have shown environmental leadership used products, they find innovative ways with these plans, which could now roll to make them less harmful and more out across the country. recyclable.

Our local Sacramento If it costs a few dollars Congressman Ami Bera more to make a washing Bera’s bill is sponsoring a bill machine that later can is nice, but it called the Dispose be easily disassembled Responsibly of Your for parts, then the does not provide Pills Act, which would company will only funding to solve the establish an annual benefit if they are problem on an $2.5 million federal paying the cost of grant program to fund recycling the washing ongoing basis. pilot programs. Bera’s machine. If a company bill is nice, but it does not uses less toxic but slightly provide funding to solve the more expensive chemicals, problem on an ongoing basis. they will only benefit if they have to Bera has no recommendations for pay the cost of taking those hazardous where ongoing funding should come chemicals out of the waste stream. from, suggesting that each county Americans take a lot of prescripfigure this out independently. tion drugs, and Americans store and We should push for nationwide dispose of a lot of unused prescription implementation of a solution like drugs. These unused drugs are both the one being developed in Alameda environmental and public-health County, creating an industry-funded menaces. If flushed down the toilet, phramaceutical drug take-back they can pollute our water. And there are numerous cases of children becom- program.

Companies cleaning up after theming addicted to prescription drugs selves: It’s a simple idea. Ω they’ve stolen from their parents, as well as thieves stealing drugs from bathroom medicine cabinets at real To read more about how California is leading the estate open houses. way in making producers responsible for end-of-life Copying a successful Canadian product management, read Heidi Sandborn’s article at program, Alameda County proposed tinyurl.com/ProductRecycling. a plan that would enable people to drop off their unused drugs at local Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority pharmacies. This plan would be paid owner of the News & Review. for by a small fee imposed upon the

Sacramento Ballet Presents

THE TY NUTCRACKER NUT

Community Center Theater • December 11, 2015 sacballet.org/nuttynut

12.03.15 | SN&R | 13

building a

HealtHy S a c r a m e n t o

Pride in action Creating safe spaces and acceptance for LGBTQ youth

by A n n e S to k e S

M

any LGBTQ youths are rejected by their families out of love, according to Emily Bender, LGBTQ program coordinator with NorCal Mental Health America.

“The rejecting behaviors, many times are not intended to be cruel or mean,” says Bender.

“They do it out of love, they think that it’s what’s best for them, that society would love them if they were straight.”

“If you reduce your rejectIon messages, there’s a better chance that your chIld wIll survIve and turn out to be a healthy adult.”

Emily Bender, LGBTQ Program Coordinator

Unfortunately, youth who face such rejection are more likely to do drugs, engage in risky behaviors and commit suicide. “If you reduce your rejection messages, there’s a better chance that your child will survive and turn out to be a healthy adult,” she says.

It is that message that Bender wants to get out to the community. Through a grant from The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative, Bender is

working with the BHC’s Pride Action Team to empower adults to establish safe and affirming environments for kids and youth who are, or who are perceived to be, LGBTQ or their allies through outreach, trainings and community events. The team is divided into four subcommittees to address everyday issues that affect the lives of LGBTQ youth: schools and families, faith-based and spiritual organizations, businesses and service providers, and neighborhood safety and transportation.

The Pride Action Team focuses mainly on South Sacramento, an area where LGBTQ youth face an increased amount of aggression, gender-based oppression and verbal harassment compared to other neighborhoods.

where youth can be free from harassment and treated with respect, the Action Team works to foster acceptance. They also reach out to law enforcement, nonprofit organizations, churches and families who are struggling to reconcile religious or cultural values with what their children are going through.

“If you want your child to continue living a healthy life, we need to create a climate that is loving and supporting,” Bender says. “It doesn’t mean that you have to wave a rainbow flag and walk at the parades, we’re not asking you to do that. What we’re asking you is please don’t make your child feel like less of a person.”

Want to get involved? attend the next Pride action Team meeting on Tuesday, dec. 8 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the mutual Housing at the greenway, 6311 Sampson Blvd. Sacramento. Can’t attend but still want to get involved? Call 530-366-1777.

paid with a grant from the california endowment SN&R | 12.03.15

Pride action Team members attended a lgBTQ youth retreat in november where site representatives engaged in networking sessions and idea-sharing meetings aimed at sharing successful projects with other BHC sites across the state.

Photo courtesy of norCal mHa

From working with schools to help them better support Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to showing businesses how to create safe spaces

Health Happens in neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools.

Health Happens with Prevention.

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In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. Over the 10 years, residents, community-based organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.

“It’s a really diverse community, mostly Southeast Asian, African American and Hispanic, with very few Caucasians, so it’s really a community of color,” explains Bender. “Many times, it’s tough to go into that community and open those doors. That’s why we want to make sure that in this Pride Action Team we include people of color, and that we include groups like La Familia, the Asian Pacific Islander groups, and that we include groups from African American churches and spiritual centers, so we have that vocabulary to talk with these families.”

your ZIP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live.

14

BuIldIng HEalTHy COmmunITIES

www.SacBHC.org

Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off

’S mento SacraerS and winn S—with loSer ry pointS ra arbit

lacks the ability to put out fires. The latest drama consists of manipulated test scores and shared answers to improve scores for incoming cadets, according to the Bee.

Four mega Passport Centers opened at U.S. Post Offices in Sacramento and West Sacramento, offering walk-in hours from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., seven days a week. Scorekeeper supports world travel.

And now, becoming an ex-pat, or simply fleeing the country on the lam, will be easier than ever before!

- 500

+7

California department of Forestry and Fire Protection

ReCoRd RUn

+ 28,000 illuStration by Serene luSano

K.J. go away movement A Los Angeles-based teacher’s union group called Courage Campaign is the latest to request Mayor K.J.’s resignation. Courage Campaign released a YouTube video partnered with the

Sacramento Collective for women’s Rights. As of Monday it has nearly 37,000 views, with 9,000 petition supporters nationwide.

+ 9,000

Plot oF dReamS Councilman Jay Schenirer sees opportunity in the abandonment that is currently Mangan Park, a 6-acre plot off Fruitridge Road in his south Sac district. His vision is to involve his Way Up nonprofit to allow urban farmers to earn enough from their plots to form a collective that expands into a farmers market for the district.

+6

Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off

Run to Feed the Hungry, the annual 5K or 10K run/walk to support the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, broke its record for registered runners with 28,644. When it began in 1994 there were only 796 participants. The event, held Thanksgiving morning, raised more than $101,000!

The mind behind Breaking Bad In Conversation with Vince Gilligan THU, DEC 10 • 8PM

Gilligan is the creator of Breaking Bad (and its prequel Better Call Saul) and a writer for The X-Files. Of Gilligan’s characters, The New York Times has said “they inhabit a realm of moral ambiguities that’s overseen by a man with both a wicked sense of humor and a highly refined sense of right and wrong.”

Celebrate the holidays with us!

Pink Martini

Holiday Show Featuring Storm Large SAT, DEC 6 • 7PM

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When it comes to shutting down scandals, the

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Pink Martini delivers a festive holiday concert featuring beloved songs from around the globe.

Reduced Shakespeare Company Ultimate Christmas SAT, DEC 12 • 7PM

American Bach Soloists

Jeffrey Thomas, music director J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio SUN, DEC 13 • 4PM

Gift Certificates available at mondaviarts.org 12.03.15

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SN&R

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15

10 things they don’t want you to read

project censored spotlights news the mainstream media won’t touch

photo illustrations by hayley doshay

16 | SN&R | 12.03.15

When sOnOma state unIversIty prOfessOr Carl Jensen started lOOkIng IntO the neW medIa’s praCtICe Of self-CensOrshIp In 1976, the Internet Was Only a dream and mOst COmputers Were stIll bIg maInframes WIth WhIrlIng tape reels and vaCuum tubes.

Back then, the vast majority of Americans got all of their news from one daily newspaper and one of the three big TV networks. If a story wasn’t on ABC, NBC or CBS, it might as well not have happened.

Today, Americans are more likely to get their news from several different sources through Facebook. Daily newspapers all over the country are struggling and, in some cases, dying. A story that appears on one obscure outlet can suddenly become a viral sensation reaching millions of readers at the speed of light.

And yet, as Jensen’s Project Censored found, there are still numerous big, important news stories that receive very little exposure.

As Project Censored staffers Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth note, 90 percent of U.S. news media—the traditional outlets that employ full-time reporters—are controlled by six corporations. “The corporate media hardly represent the mainstream,” the staffers wrote in the current edition’s introduction.

“By contrast, the independent journalists that Project Censored has celebrated since its inception are now understood as vital components of what experts have identified as the newly developing ‘networked fourth estate.’” The results are published in a book released last month by Seven Stories Press.

I’ve been writing about Project Censored for 25 years, and I think it’s safe to say that the stories on this year’s list are credible, valid and critically important. And, even in an era when most of us are drunk with information, overloaded by buzzing social media telling us things we didn’t think we needed to know, these stories haven’t gotten anywhere near the attention they deserve.

—Tim

Redmond

Tim Redmond: longTime ediToR of The San fRanciSco Bay guaRdian, founding memBeR of The San fRanciSco PRogReSSive media cenTeR and ediToR of ThaT nonPRofiT oRganizaTion’S PuBlicaTion 48 hillS

01

Half of global wealtH owned by ‘tHe 1 Percent’

In January 2015, Oxfam, an international nonprofit organization that aims to eliminate poverty, published a report stating that 1 percent of the global population will own more wealth than the rest of the 99 percent combined by 2016.

The Oxfam report provided evidence that extreme inequality is not inevitable, but is, in fact, the result of political choices and economic policies established and maintained by the power elite, wealthy individuals whose strong influence keeps the status quo rigged in their own favor. In addition to reporting the latest figures on global economic

02 CalIfOrnIa state documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity in October 2014 revealed that the oil industry had illegally dumped almost 3 billion gallons of wastewater from fracking (hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and gas) into central California aquifers.

According to the Center for

inequality and its consequences, the Oxfam study outlined a nine-point plan that governments could adopt in creating new policies to address poverty and economic inequality.

According to an Oxfam report, the proportion of global wealth owned by the 1 percent has increased from 44 percent in 2009 to 48 percent in 2014 and is projected to reach 50 percent in 2016.

Oxfam calculated that taxing billionaires just 1.5 percent of their wealth “could raise $74 billion a year, enough to fill the annual gaps in funding needed to get every child into

school and to deliver health services in the world’s poorest countries.”

Corporate coverage of Oxfam reports has been minimal in quantity and problematic in quality. A few corporate television networks, including CNN, CBS, MSNBC, ABC, FOX and C-SPAN covered Oxfam’s January report, according to the TV News Archive. CNN had the most coverage with approximately seven broadcast segments from January 19 to 25, 2015. However, these stories aired between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., far from prime time. Ω

oil industry in california illegally dumPs fracking wastewater Biological Diversity report, the leaking occurred through at least nine injection disposal wells used by the oil industry to dispose of contaminated waste.

The affected aquifers supply water for human consumption and for irrigation of crops for human consumption. The documents also revealed that water-supply wells located close to wastewater injection sites

were tested and found to have high levels of arsenic, thallium and nitrates, all toxic chemicals linked to the oil industry’s wastewater.

According to the documents obtained by the center, the California State Water Resources Control Board admitted that an additional 19 wells could have been leaking wastewater into protected aquifers. One state

“10 thIngs they dOn’t Want yOu tO read”

agency official claimed that errors in the permitting process for wastewater injection could have occurred in multiple places.

Adding to the magnitude of the danger, toxic chemicals such as benzene can migrate into water sources over a period of years, making accurate risk assessment difficult.

A previous study by the Center for Biological Diversity

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

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“10 thinGS theY Don’t Want You to reaD”

showed that “54 percent of California’s 1,553 active and new wastewater injection wells are within 10 miles of a recently active fault (active in the past 200 years).” The findings “raise significant concerns,” this report’s authors wrote, “because the distance from a wastewater injection well to a fault is a key risk factor influencing whether a well may induce an earthquake.”

The Center for Biological Diversity report’s revelations about water contamination came amidst legislative deliberation to regulate fracking in California.

As both Donny Shaw of MapLight and Dan Bacher for IndyBay reported in May 2014, over the past five years, the oil industry has lobbied powerfully in the California state Legislature, spending more than $63 million in efforts to persuade state policymakers to permit the continuation and expansion of fracking.

Although corporate media have covered debate over fracking regulations, the Center for Biological Diversity study regarding the dumping of wastewater into California’s aquifers went all but ignored at first. There appears to have been a lag of more than three months between the initial independent news coverage of the Center for Biological Diversity revelations and corporate coverage.

In May 2015, the Los Angeles Times ran a front-page feature on Central Valley crops irrigated with treated oil field water; however, the Los Angeles Times report made no mention of the Center for Biological Diversity’s findings regarding fracking wastewater contamination.

In June 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its study of the impacts of fracking on drinking water supplies. Although the EPA’s assessment identified “important vulnerabilities to drinking water resources,” it concluded that “hydraulic fracturing activities have not led to widespread, systemic impacts to drinking water resources.”

In response, Food & Water Watch issued a press release by Executive Director Wenonah Hauter, who wrote: “Sadly, the EPA study released today falls far short of the level of scrutiny and government oversight needed to protect the health and safety of the millions of American people affected by drilling and fracking for oil and gas.” Noting that the oil and gas industry refused to cooperate with the EPA on a single “prospective case study” of fracking’s impacts, Hunter concluded, “This reveals the undue influence the industry has over the government and shows that the industry is afraid to allow careful monitoring of their operations.” Ω

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

03 89 percent of pakistani drone victims can’t be id’d as militants Since PreSiDent Barack oBama’S inauguration in 2009, an estimated 2,464 people have been killed by drone strikes targeted outside of the United States’ declared war zones. This figure was posted in February 2015 by Jack Serle and the team at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, who maintain a database of all known strikes—based on fieldwork, media reports and leaked documents—which

05

provides a clearer picture of the scale and impact of the U.S. drone program than the episodic reporting provided by corporate media.

According to Bureau data, Al Qaeda members comprise only 4 percent of the total 2,379 people killed by U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan as of October 2014, just over ten years after the first such strikes.

Of the total killed, about 30 percent could be identified and 11 percent were defined as militants. Little is known about the remaining 1,675 unnamed victims.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s findings undermine the validity of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s claim that “the only people we fire a drone at are confirmed terrorist targets at the highest level.” Ω

04

fukushima nuclear disaster deepens

the 2011 nuclear reactor meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, continues unresolved, despite both assurances by government authorities and major news media that the situation has been contained and the assessment of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency that Japan has made “significant progress” in cleaning up the site.

The continued dumping of extremely radioactive cooling water into the Pacific Ocean from the destroyed nuclear plant, already being detected along the Japanese coastline, has the potential to impact entire portions of the Pacific Ocean and North America’s western shoreline. Aside from the potential release of plutonium into the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo Electric Power Company recently admitted that the facility is releasing large quantities of water contaminated with tritium,

cesium and strontium into the ocean every day.

While acknowledging that the water in remaining tanks at the Fukushima facility is heavily “tainted,” a December 2014 statement from the Japanese government’s Nuclear Radiation Authority affirmed a decision to dump it into the Pacific.

Aside from the potential release of plutonium into the Pacific Ocean, TEPCO admitted that the facility is releasing a whopping 150 billion

becquerels of tritium and 7 billion becquerels of cesium- and strontiumcontaminated water into the ocean every day. By contrast, the Japanese government does not allow over 100 becquerels per kilogram to be sold to its citizenry.

“This water contains plutonium 239 and its release into the ocean has both local as well as global repercussions,” wrote Michel Chossudovsky at Global Research. Ω

“10 thinGS theY Don’t Want You to reaD”

popular resistance to corporate water

Sacramento iSn’t the onlY Place where activists speak out against the privatization of public water. In January 2000, the people of Cochabamba, Bolivia, shut down the city in protest against the privatization of their municipal water system, which had resulted in rate hikes that doubled or tripled their water bills.

In February of that year, Pacific News Service correspondent Jim Shultz broke the story in the Western press with “A War Over Water,” his firsthand reports of clashes between riot police and protesters.

On the 15th anniversary of the Cochabamba protests, popular resistance to corporate water control continues to expand around the world, encompassing remunicipalization of privatized water utilities, direct action against unjust water shutoffs and rainwater harvesting.

A common theme—access to water as a fundamental human right—unites these three issues.

Corporate efforts to privatize water rights are meeting robust grassroots resistance as communities around the world assert their rights to decide how water resources are used. Over the past 15 years, Victoria Collier reported for CounterPunch, there have been 180 cases across 35 countries of water “remunicipalization,” with water control returned from private ownership to the public. “From Spain to Buenos Aires, Cochabamba to Kazakhstan, Berlin to Malaysia, water privatization is being aggressively rejected,” she reported. Ω

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

12.03.15 | SN&R | 19

“10 THINGS THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO READ”

06

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Methane gas leading to unprecedented teMperature rise

IN REcENT YEARS, ATmOSpHERIc methane levels have reached an alltime high. A greenhouse gas that is a leading contributor to global warming, methane is far more destructive than carbon dioxide.

In his report for Truthout, Dahr Jamail quoted Paul Beckwith, a professor of climatology and meteorology at the University of Ottawa: “Our climate system is in early stages of abrupt climate change that, unchecked, will lead to a temperature rise of 5 to 6 degrees Celsius within a decade or two.” Such changes would have “unprecedented effects” for life on Earth.

The melting of arctic ice releases previously trapped methane into the atmosphere. “What happens in the Arctic,” Beckwith observed, “does not stay in the Arctic.” The loss of arctic ice affects the Earth as a whole.

For example, as the temperature difference between the Arctic and the equator decreases, the jet stream increases. This in turn speeds the melting of arctic ice.

Leonid Yurganov, a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland, stated that “increased methane would influence air temperature near the surface. This would accelerate the Arctic warming and change the climate everywhere in the world.”

A 2013 study, published in Nature, reported that a 50-gigaton “burp” of methane is “highly possible at any time.” As Jamail clarified, “That would be the equivalent of at least 1,000 gigatons of carbon dioxide,” noting that, since 1850, humans have released a total of approximately 1,475 gigatons in carbon dioxide. Ω

08 policeinvolved killings higher in aMerica DOcUmENTS REvEAlED THAT WATER-SUpplY WEllS lOcATED clOSE TO WASTEWATER INjEcTION SITES WERE TESTED AND fOUND TO HAvE HIGH lEvElS Of ARSENIc, THAllIUm AND NITRATES.

cOmpARED WITH OTHER capitalist countries, the United States is unquestionably different when it comes to the level of state violence directed against minorities, Richard Becker reported in January 2015 for Liberation.

Using 2011 figures, Becker wrote that, on a per capita basis, “the rate of killing by U.S. police was about 100 times that of English cops in 2011.”

Similarly, U.S. police were 40 times as likely to kill as German police officers, and 20 times as likely to kill as their Canadian counterparts. This, Becker noted, is probably not the kind of “American exceptionalism” that President Barack Obama had in mind when he addressed graduating West Point cadets in May 2014.

It is not clear how many people police in the United States kill each year, since there is no federal agency that accurately keeps track of such

mASS SURvEIllANcE HAS

07

writers fear nsa spying

20 | SN&R | 12.03.15

“badly shaken writers’ faith that democratic governments will respect their rights to privacy and freedom of expression,” according to a January 2015 PEN America report based on the responses of 772 writers from 50 countries. Reporting for Common Dreams, Lauren McCauley covered not only the PEN America report, but also a July 2014 report by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch indicating that U.S. journalists and lawyers increasingly avoid work on potentially controversial topics due to fear of government spying.

McCauley’s January 2015 Common Dreams story quoted one of the conclusions from the PEN America report: “If writers avoid exploring topics for fear of possible retribution, the material available to readers—particularly those seeking to understand the most

information. The Federal Bureau of Investigation compiles annual statistics for “justified homicides” by police, and all reported police killings are registered as “justified” killings by the FBI. Since participation in reporting homicides to the FBI by police and sheriff’s departments is voluntary, only about 800 police agencies—out of 18,000—provide statistics.

According to FBI statistics, there were 461 “justified homicides” by police in 2013, but the website KilledBy Police.net reported that U.S. police killed around 748 people in just the last eight months of 2013, and 1,100 in 2014. The Killed By Police figures were compiled using establishment media sources; because not every police killing is reported, and checking all news sources across the country is virtually impossible, these figures likely underestimate the number of police killings of civilians. Ω

controversial and challenging issues facing the world today— may be greatly impoverished.”

According to the PEN America survey, 34 percent of writers in liberal democracies reported some degree of self-censorship (compared with 61 percent of writers living in authoritarian countries, and 44 percent in semidemocratic countries).

In the few instances when corporate news media covered the PEN America report, that coverage downplayed the scope of the report’s implications. For instance, while the New York Times’ Jennifer Schuessler filed a substantive story on the PEN America report, the Times ran her article in its arts section. A second Times article based on the PEN America report focused specifically on press freedom in Hong Kong, effectively ignoring the 49 other countries that the report addressed. Ω

09

482 billionaires get more media coverage than 50 million poor

10 country runs entirely on renewable energy For 75 days straIght durIng the FIrst months of 2015, the nation of Costa Rica did not burn any fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Instead, as a result of heavy rainfall, hydropower plants generated almost all of the country’s electricity.

The country’s geothermal, wind and solar energy sources made reliance on coal and petroleum sources unnecessary.

As Myles Gough reported, Costa Rica’s primary industries are tourism and agriculture, which require little energy, compared with industries such as mining or manufacturing. The nation also has topographical features (including volcanoes) that are conducive to producing renewable energy.

Both Lizzie Wade, writing for Wired, and Lindsay Fendt, of the Guardian, noted that the heavy rainfall that allowed Costa Rica to generate all its electricity from renewable sources in early 2015 is likely the result of climate change. Ω

In June 2014, FaIrness and accuracy In reportIng published a study showing that ABC World News, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News give more media coverage to the 482 billionaires in the United States than to the 50 million people in poverty, airing almost four times as many stories that included the term “billionaire” as stories including terms such as “homeless” or “welfare.”

“The notion that the wealthiest nation on Earth has one in every six of its citizens living at or below the poverty threshold reflects not a lack of resources, but a lack of policy focus and attention—and this is due to a lack of public awareness to the issue,” Frederick Reese of MintPress News wrote.

The FAIR study showed that, between January 2013 and February 2014, an average of only 2.7 seconds per every 22-minute episode discussed poverty in some

format. During the 14 month study, FAIR found just 23 news segments that addressed poverty. Those segments featured 54 sources, only 22 of which were people personally affected by poverty. “That means, on average, someone affected by poverty appeared on any nightly news show only once every 20 days,” FAIR reported.

Television news coverage of the rich was not only four times more frequent, but also “painted them in a favorable light,” according to the study.

For instance, during an August 2013 segment of NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams explained that billionaires such as Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos were purchasing newspapers “because they believe in quality work and a robust press.”

In March 2014, Tavis Smiley reported that “poverty represents less than 0.02 percent of lead media coverage.” Ω

Read Project Censored’s entire list of overlooked stories and purchase the book at www.projectcensored.org.

12.03.15 | SN&R | 21

c i n o h p y l o p spree A

l

ocal musician Drew Walker remembers the fear that filled him while driving to Mexicali, Mexico last April to play in an art gallery with his sample-based solo project DoofyDoo. It wasn’t that there was something particularly frightening about crossing the U.S. border, he says—he had his older brother riding shotgun with him, after all.

Check out opening night of The Tourist, 8 p.m.

Sunday, December 6, at Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery, 1015 9th Street.

Tickets are $8. The exhibit will be on display through December 29. Learn more at www.facebook.com/ events/872195556235489/ or www.doofydoo. bandcamp.com.

Rather, it was the unusual set he’d planned—and imagining how strangers might react to it—that made him apprehensive.

“I was scared shitless. I used a lot of samples about NAFTA and drug trafficking and human trafficking. I was like, ‘How are these people going to react to this white suburban dude coming down and remixing their trauma?’” Walker remembers.

The show was a stop on The Tourist, a tour through 18 West Coast cities. Mexicali was the fifth. For each location, Walker tailored his music to include audio samples specific to that

22 | SN&R | 12.03.15

city. The samples generally featured everyday people discussing issues pertinent to that city, with some current and historical news clips thrown into the mix.

Remnants of that tour will go on display starting Sunday, December 6, as part of a new exhibit at the Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery.

Before the tour, Walker researched each city on the stop, reading up on the region and pulling audio samples from YouTube and other sites. He says he viewed those audio fragments as representing the regions’ good and bad aspects—as well as everything in between.

While onstage, Walker also improvised music, playing along with the sample track, using guitar, drum machine, keyboards and any other instrument he could get his hands on to craft a strange antimusic audio art. He calls this experimental style “plunderphonic psyche-beats.”

The tour comprised more than music. Walker snapped photos throughout and tried to get a group photo of the crowd when possible. He also left a notebook where audience members could jot down

thoughts or draw cartoons as he performed. At the end of each night, Walker would retrieve the notebook and add his own thoughts to the pages.

Now, all of this material is on display as part of an interactive exhibit called, appropriately, The Tourist. It comprises multiple stations, leading viewers on a virtual tour of 15 of Walker’s 18 stops. The stations will be set up in chronological order and, in addition to photos and notebooks, will include music recorded at the shows. The music can be accessed through the viewer’s own mobile device, using his or her own own headphones. The opening night of the exhibit will also mark the release of Walker’s latest record, a massive opus also called The Tourist.

Like the exhibit, it includes live tour recordings as well as photos. The album will be sold on a USB drive and includes a poster collage.

There’s also an abridged version, The Tourist: West Coast In Audio, a single album-length compilation of select cuts. Walker’s one-man band, DoofyDoo, will perform at the exhibit’s opening night.

Drew Walker’s The Tourist exhibit marries photography, music and social commentary.

Tacos!

see oFF MENU

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sUbUrbaN vEggiE sprawl see THE v worD

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Drew Walker (left) and Tyler Walker in images from The Tourist.

aFTEr-DiNNEr DEcEiT see asK JoEY

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HarvEsT poT boUNTY see THE 420

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The artist reclines with girlfriend Juli Boggs in another exhibit snapshot.

photos courtesy of drew walker

musicianartist Drew wa l k e r b r i n g s his massive, i n t e r ac t i v e tour exhibit home

Because Walker tailored each set to the city in which it was performed, all are distinct.

In San Francisco, for example, the topic was hypergentrification. In Seattle, he sampled chatter about the Occupy Wall Street movement there.

The Vancouver set included several minutes of audio about a specific street where the city’s heroin addicts hang out.

The audio is often unsettling, but Walker says crowd reaction was positive—even in Mexicali.

Marco Vera, founder and director of the Mexicali Rose Media/Arts Center where Walker performed, says he was impressed with how the artist took such creative risks.

“It blew people away that Drew had really done his homework,” Vera says. “People were talking about it for a while. Drew brought a lot of social commentary, but with humor.”

Mexicali was an important stop on the tour because it’s the place that kicked off the entire idea. In December 2014, Walker deejayed a set at the Crocker Art Museum, sneaking in bits of his own self-described “weird” material here and there.

Mexican artist Fernando Corona was there, liked what he heard, and invited Walker to play at the Mexicali Rose.

Walker accepted the invitation and then figured he might as well stop in San Diego, Long Beach and Tijuana, too. Eventually, the whole thing turned into a massive DIY expedition with gigs in galleries, basements and other atypical performance spaces.

From the start, Walker says, he had an idea that the tour would be detailed and all-encompassing, with photos and notebooks. It wasn’t just about bringing art to an audience, but about receiving something in return, too.

“It’s this story within the story of the people that were actually there. I have photos. I got all this material from people I met on the road,” he says.

The Tourist yielded a massive amount of music for DoofyDoo, but that’s nothing new. Before this, he’d already self-released 15 albums, primarily through Bandcamp, but a few on CD, too. Walker also plays in other various bands, including bass in Gentleman Surfer.

Walker first started playing under the DoofyDoo moniker more than a decade ago.

The music started out along the lines of offbeat psych singer-songwriter stuff, but over time has evolved into something less traditional, mixing provocative samples with experimental electronic-meets-psych-rock improv.

In recent months, his live shows have centered around a theme. For Valentine’s Day the theme was love, obviously—albeit in offbeat vein with samples that were funny, dark and unsettling.

Whatever the theme, Walker says his music isn’t necessarily made for the masses.

“It’s not a moneymaking endeavor. … It has nothing to do with conforming to expectations and that’s probably why I keep doing it,” he says. “It’s weird and off-putting, but the people that I respect seem to get it. It’s going to be DIY and weird as hell until I die.”

The scope of the tour and exhibit, Walker says, has proven to be a bit overwhelming—but in a good way. After spending hours researching each city, then visiting and meeting people in each town, it’s the little details that have stuck the most.

“Now that everyone travels more and you can virtually go anywhere now, I feel that cultural exchanges across cities are interesting and farther away than we feel like,” he says.

Despite the rigorous time and planning that went into the tour, Walker says he really doesn’t like to think that far into the future.

Instead, he just follows his muse to satisfy his immediate artistic musings. There’s no bigpicture plan.

“[my music is] weird and off-putting, but the people that i respect seem to get it. it’s going to be diy and weird as hell until i die.”

D re w wa l k er

“I guess I’m a hedonist in that way. I’m not future-oriented. This whole project is the past.

It’s done. I’m waning interest in it already,” Walker says. “I can’t wait for this shit to be done with, so I can do something else.”

mu s ic ia n - a r tis t

Walker performs as part of his DoofyDoo solo project. photo by addam goard

12.03.15 | SN&R | 23

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Gettin’ Down for a Good Cause Viral stars Postmodern Jukebox bring period style to benefit concert

by Shannon Springmeyer hese days, a nostalgic yearning for the swank and pizzazz of bygone eras is a common feeling among everyone from millennials to octogenarians.

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox serves up the antidote in a satisfying mix of old and new — the costumed song-and-dance troupe covers modern pop standards in eclectic musical styles of yore. Hits

by Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, even Green Day are all fair game, transformed into soulful jazz, swing or bluegrass numbers. PMJ’s YouTube videos regularly go viral and its channel boasts a subscriber count upward of 1.6 million, so it’s no surprise that the group’s first concert in the Sacramento area sold out fast.

T

Hits by Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, even Green Day are all fair game, transformed into soulful jazz, swing or bluegrass numbers.

PMJ comes to the Crest Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 10, to put on a benefit show hosted by local nonprofit Alzheimer’s Aid Society of Northern California, in association with SN&R.

The grassroots organization provides more than 40 weekly and monthly support groups throughout Northern California, resources and education, and is entirely supported through donations and fundraising.

If you’re kicking yourself for not snagging tickets, there’s still hope: The Alzheimer’s Aid Society has limited sets of VIP sponsorship packages available.

Gold and Platinum sponsorships include tickets to the event, with extras like a vintage Hollywood-style red carpet walk (period attire encouraged), a preshow cocktail reception with a chance to rub elbows with PMJ stars, and program advertising space for sponsoring organizations.

To learn more about the Alzheimer’s Aid Society of Northern California, visit www.alzaid.org.

Alzheimer’s Aid Society President of the Board and CEO Sheryl Ashby says the funds raised from the event will help sustain the nonprofit’s work throughout the year.

“We are here to support caregivers and patients that are going through Alzheimer’s,” Ashby says. “The biggest point that we need people to understand is that there’s help out there.”

PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION W/ THE ALZHEIMER’S AID SOCIETY

VIP SPONSOR PACKAGES STILL AVAILABLE 916.996.7202 Premier charity event for the Alzheimer’s Aid Society of Northern California We exist to provide support, education and compassion to patients and caregivers throughout the journey of Alzheimer’s disease, to support medical research, and to promote public awareness.

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et in carp d e r d the wo o wa l k h o l ly d l o of pirit the s

December 10th, 2015

Show: 8:00pm • Doors: 7:00pm Crest Theatre, Downtown Sacramento

v i n ta

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r aff g e at tir

le pr izes

e e nc o

u r ag

ed

FOR THE WEEk OF DECEMBER 3

‘The Fundamentals of Fundraising’ FRiDAY, DECEMBER 4 Those damn politicians know nothing, right? Sure, but they do know something about fundraising.

“The Fundamentals of Fundraising” is a program geared toward nonprofits. Hosted by California Lawyers for the Arts, it’s an opportunity to discuss topics such as how to create a mesLECTURE sage to potential patrons. $20-$25; 11:30 a.m. at California Lawyers for the Arts, 2015 J Street, Suite 204; www.calawyersforthearts.org.

—AARON CARNES

Parade of Lights SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

There

may be no other time of year more primed for comedy than the holidays; comedians draw from the smorgasbord of uncomfortable family interactions that litter the season like landmines, and audience members eager to escape said landmines are in dire need of laughs. Sacramento’s ever-rich comedy scene delivers this week with a number of events ranging from homegrown talent to national acts.

Over at the Sacramento Comedy Spot (1050 20th Street, Suite 130) on Friday, December 4, musical improv act The Potato Bureau takes a cue from a local musician’s live performance and runs wild with it (think Wayne Brady in his heyday on Whose Line is it Anyway?). The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $8. Go for a double-header with a performance from the venue’s main sketch-comedy group Secret Handshake Society at 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.saccomedyspot.com.

If you’re hankering for laughs in more of a stand-up kind of way, Heather McDonald of Chelsea Lately and recent Showtime comedy special I Don’t Mean to Brag fame will be at the Punch

No need to drive around looking for brightly decorated houses. The Parade of Lights takes place in the water, and anyone adept at paddling a kayak or paddleboard is encouraged to join. Enjoy a frosty night under the stars and check out HOLIDAY some ornately decorated kayaks. Free, 4:45 p.m. at the boat ramp at Negro Bar State Park, Greenback Lane and Folsom Boulevard in Folsom; www.meetup.com/Sacramento-Paddle-Pushers.

Line Comedy Club on Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5 for 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows on both days. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.punchlinesac.com. Across town at Tommy T’s in Rancho Cordova (12401 Folsom Boulevard) from Thursday, December 3, through Sunday, December 6, Darren Carter, who has done the rounds on The Tonight Show, Comedy Central, BET and Showtime, will be dealing in impressions and manic observational humor. Tickets are $20 and times vary; visit www.tommyts.com for more details.

If you’re looking to get a little more charitable as you split your sides, Laugh it Off Comedy offers a night of local comedy benefiting at-risk youth through the Biletnikoff Foundation on Saturday, December 5, at the Roseville Eagles Aerie 1582 (210 Lincoln Street) at 8 p.m. Comics include Greg Williams, Dan Mires and Saul Trujillo, with headliner Ellis Rodriguez, who recently placed third in the Las Vegas World Series of Comedy. Admission is $20 and tickets can be purchased by calling (916)-214-1374.

—DEENA DREwiS

—EDDiE JORGENSEN

Plant Foundry grand opening SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5 Celebrate the opening of the Plant Foundry, the most Sacramento nursery ever (Drought-tolerant plants! Organic seeds ideal for urban farming! Edible flowers!) with a very Sacramento party: beers from Oak Park Brewing Co., New Helvetia GARDENING Brewing Co. and Rubicon Brewing Co.; a biscuit bar from South; live music and a “horticultural holiday” photo booth. Free, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at 3500 Broadway; www.plantfoundry.com.

—DEENA DREwiS

Dweezil Zappa Guitar Masterclass SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 Legendary guitarist Frank Zappa’s music lives on through his son Dweezil—a prodigious player in his own right who released a record produced MUSIC by Eddie Van Halen at the ripe age of 12. Prior to the Zappa Plays Zappa show at 9 p.m., Dweezil will teach a masterclass on the methods he adopted to learn his father’s music (tickets for each event sold separately). $75, 4 p.m. at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street; www.dweezilzappaworld.com.

—DEENA DREwiS

Imaginarium tour THROUGH DECEMBER 17 In just five years, youth-literacy nonprofit 916 Ink has left a pretty impressive mark: 50 books published and 1,700 bylines from budding area writers.

WRITING The latest addition to its magnanimous vision is the Imaginarium, a whimsical creative workspace that’s taken root in the Maple Neighborhood Center. Tours are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays, but online registration is required. Free, various times at 3301 37th Avenue, Room 15; www.916ink.org.

—DEENA DREwiS

12.03.15 | SN&R | 25

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IllustratIons by serene lusano

More than coffee Grilled cheese, old soul At WeAtherstone Around here, coffee shops do coffee and that’s that.

Sure, there are some rad pastries shipped in, but no substantive eats. That is, unless we’re talking about Old Soul Co. They’ve got real food. Take the grilled cheese ($7.50) at the Weatherstone location with spinach, tomato and a blend of Swiss, white cheddar and brie, all on a spongy, crisped focaccia. It’s sweet and savory, the cheeses filling out an entire spectrum of flavors on their own. For another $2, you can get some roasted vegetables heaped in there to boot (do it, and get some tots as well to complete the upgrade of your childhood food staples). 812 21st Street, www.oldsoulco.com.

—Anthony siino

Petal power no. 3, eMpress tAvern

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Tacos forever

by Janelle Bitker

Mexico, for the win: Need to shake up your taco routine? Now is the time.

Just in the past month, a bunch of Mexican eateries have opened in the Sacramento area.

The newest is the reincarnation of Cafe Soleil, formerly in Cesar Chavez Plaza. While Cafe Soleil served American food with some Mexican dishes, Soleil Mexican American Cuisine (2790 Stockton Boulevard) serves Mexican food with some American dishes. That means breakfast burritos, huevos rancheros, street tacos, quesadillas, tostadas and enchiladas—plus some sandwiches, like turkey and tri-tip, and salads, including a

Then there’s El Bramido Mexican Restaurant and Bar (2394 Northgate Boulevard) in north Sacramento, which features a full bar and emphasis on seafood. In addition to eight shrimp preparations, there’s fried fish, seafood soup, ceviche and more. El Bramido also offers the usual assortment of tacos, burritos, tortas and nachos, plus molcajete, menudo on weekends and all-day Mexican breakfast. jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

chicken Caesar. The bright-orange kiosk most recently housed Sacto Chicken Co., which served Caribbean fried chicken until it closed in February. Prior to that, it was an orange-freeze stand.

Local minichain Carolina’s Mexican Food has opened its sixth location downtown (906 J Street). The menu offers breakfast burritos, rolled tacos, carne asada fries and chimichangas, along with the usual taqueria options. Another local minichain, Super Taco Mexican Restaurants, moved its Calvine location slightly to 8325 Elk Grove Florin Road. The space is bigger, sporting its usual Mexican cantina look.

Chinese sweets: Another small Asian market opened in downtown Davis: Ho Ho Market (132 E Street, Suite 140). Ho Ho mostly sells Chinese products—noodles, beans, sauces—with lots of Chinese snacks and candies. If you grew up with Chinese parents, then you know: Yan Yan, Pocky, Hello Panda and Hi-Chew, those delightful, not-toosweet gummies. Yum! Tastes like childhood. It fills the void left by the Inconvenient Store, the Asian snack shop that closed two years ago.

Downtown Davis still has Kim’s Mart (628 4th Street), which serves some Japanese and Chinese products but is chiefly a Korean market. And a Thai market, Tarad Thai, is due to open at 902 Third Street, Suite C. Ω

The No. 3 ($11) on Empress Tavern’s short cocktail menu is a simple stunner in a tall crystal-cut tumbler filled with Spirit Works gin and a hibiscus-honeylavender syrup. The ruby red drink is topped off with a gorgeous hibiscus flower petal that floats on the surface like a corsage. But it’s not just all good looks and floral-spiked sweetness.

In Iran, hibiscus is used to regulate blood pressure, and in parts of Africa it’s steeped into jams, jellies and teas to use as a diuretic. So, you know, drink to your health and all that. 1013 K Street, http://empresstavern.com.

—rAchel leibrock

Fab fungus MushrooMs With the recent rains (hallelujah!), there’s now a bumper crop of mushrooms. But unless you’re a trained mycologist, spare yourself liver damage and buy them from a reputable grower. Every year, there are reports of people who pick their own and get very sick. Look for Solano Mushroom Farm and Premier Mushrooms at the local markets.

They’ll introduce you to more than button and portobello ’shrooms. How about tender oysters, medicinal shiitake or the poetic hen-of-the-woods?

You can even buy grow-your-own kits for hyperlocal produce.

—Ann MArtin rolke

12.03.15 | SN&R | 27

t a e r T n Froze acramento!

Best

in S

VAMPIRE PENGUIN

Viva gelato

907 K STREET (SAC) /VampirePenguin916

S H AV E D S N O W & D E S S E R T S

by Janelle Bitker

eatuscany Caffe

Dinner Now Serving

HH 1901 L Street, Suite 80; (916) 930-1950; www.eatuscanycaffe.com

FRI & SAT 5PM—9PM

Dinner for one: $8 - $14 Good for: gelato that legitimately brings you back to Italy Notable dishes: pistachio and Ferrero Rocher gelatos

1/2 off Dinner Buy one entree get the 2nd of equal or lesser value 1/2 off, up to $8 Value. Must present coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Offer good Fridays and Saturdays 5pm to 9pm only.

Angus NY Steak w/caramelized red onion butter & garlic mashed potatos.

3751 Stockton Blvd • Sac, CA • 916.822.4713 • Wed–Sun 8am–2pm

EXOTIC

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ˠ˧ˢˢ ËŸɠs ɚsʰ Ǣ ONj ŎsŘǼŸ ɠɠɠʳsɮŸǼÞOƼĶ ŘǼǣĶǼ_ʳOŸŎ

28 | SN&R | 12.03.15

but more intense, more pure. And the consistency is phenomenal: richer, denser, creamier than the competition. When you dig in your spoon, you are met with resistance. You must pull and watch the gelato pull with you into elegant wisps of delight.

I was impressed by the Firenze panini ($8.95), stuffed with prosciutto, fresh crescenza cheese, tomatoes, arugula and artichoke cream. The focaccia’s edges were crisp, its interior soft. Quality ingredients, definitely. But let’s be honest, panini aren’t terribly difficult to execute.

Neither is bruschetta ($6), or so I thought.

Three thick-cut pieces of baguette arrived freshly toasted, but beneath an ice-cold concoction of fresh tomato, olive oil, tomato sauce, oregano and garlic. Excellent, simple flavor, but the temperature was too bizarre to get over. My teeth were uncomfortable.

Eatuscany’s breads and pastas are not housemade—and it shows. The lasagne pesto ($14) was gummy and boring. The crespelle ai funghi ($11.50) intrigued—an Italian crepe folded over bechamel, with mushrooms, Parmesan and truffle oil—but tasted one-dimensional.

Worse, there was nothing to counteract its soft, mushy mouthfeel.

Even worse, it, too, needed heaps of salt.

Every pasta dish I tasted—there are daily specials, such as that aforementioned carbonara—confounded me. How could they be so bland when there’s so much butter and cheese?

The most depressing experience came from the round, individual -sized pizzas. They sit in an appealing display case—alongside breakfast pastries, which are frankly disappointing as well—before being baked-to-order. What occurred next is hard to explain. Not only did the toppings—in this case, prosciutto and mozzarella—immediately fall off the pizza, but the center was soggy and the crusts were brittle, shattering in the mouth into dry, bready bits. Overall, it tasted like an old biscuit.

Do become a regular at Eatuscany for its gelato. But for most other Italian deli and pasta desires, make the trek a few blocks north to Sampino’s Towne Foods. Ω

All the gelato flavors are what you’d imagine, but more intense, more pure.

Pick your own discount!

In-store only.

No double discounts.

Some exclusions apply.

Expires 12/31/15

It’s distressing when the most exciting thing on the table is a standard Caesar salad.

It’s distressing when toppings completely slide off a pizza after you pick it up. It’s distressing when a plate of bucatini carbonara arrives seemingly dry, with the gray-tinged hunks of limp pancetta.

I am distressed, because I think Eatuscany Caffe serves the best gelato in the city but everything else falls so, so short.

Eatuscany Caffe opened in August in Midtown’s bustling Handle District, on the same block as Ginger Elizabeth and around the corner from Devine Gelataria. Stiff competition in the sweets department, but Eatuscany sets itself apart by serving lunch and dinner in its adorable, distinctly European-feeling space.

Owners Franco and Stefania Zerbinati don’t speak English very well, but they’re extremely friendly when they’re around. Some of Eatuscany’s other employees are lovely as well. Some are not. Some are prone to eye rolling and answering simple questions like, “What’s in the Eatuscany gelato?” with a dismissive “I don’t know.”

For the record, it’s candied fig and ricotta, and it’s delicious. Stefania makes Eatuscany’s gelato daily in-house and it tastes just like the gelato in Italy. Sure enough, she trained at Artigeniale, a dessert school about halfway between Venice and Bologna. My first love was Eatuscany’s pistachio ($4.50 for a small): salty, meaty, nutty, savory and sweet, with a deep brown-green hue. It seems silly to say, but it tasted so strongly of pistachio. All of Eatuscany’s flavors are what you’d imagine,

ja ne lle b @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Holiday cheer Enjoy the holiday season in luxury-mode at Formoli’s Bistro, which is offering a swanky deal this month in the name of “Celebrating Home for the Holidays.”

Because Sacramento is rad, and we can feel the seasonal magic right here.

With Formoli’s holiday light package, you’ll get picked up by a limo, escorted to a four-course dinner, then driven through the Fabulous Forties neighborhood to admire the twinkling, lit-up displays. The meal includes stuffed dates, soup, dessert and a choice of pork osso bucco, roasted chicken or a seasonal vegan board. Pair with a glass of wine from Heringer Estates and finish it off with coffee from Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters. Dinner costs $50 per person; limo costs range depending on size, but if you grabbed a dozen of your closest friends, you could expect to pay around $20 per person.

More at http://formolisbistro.com.

EAT AT OPA! OPA! LIVE LONGER! *Results may vary by the minute

—Janelle Bitker

$

S PE N D $ 2 0 G E T

S P E N D $3 0 G E T

5 OFF $10 OFF .

EXP. 12.31.15. NOT VALID WITH VARIETY PLATTER OR RIBEYE STEAK.

EXP. 12.31.15. NOT VALID WITH VARIETY PLATTER OR RIBEYE STEAK.

In bloom in Rocklin

’13 ’13

08

09 08

09 08

09 08

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09 08

By Shoka Vegan eateries must be in season in the Rocklin and Roseville area, because another plant-based restaurant recently bloomed. Pho Asian Vegan Cuisine is located in Rocklin (at 6661 Stanford Ranch Road, to be exact), and, as its name indicates, it has a menu full of dishes inspired by several Asian countries, including Mongolian mock beef, Korean noodle, pad Thai and Vietnamese vermicelli. There are also, of course, spring rolls, avocado smoothies and

the Asian novelty drink du jour, pearl drinks—a.k.a. boba tea, a.k.a. bubble tea. Plus, lots of faux meat—it’s ubiquitous on the menu.

Pho Asian Cuisine joins the recently relocated all-vegan Baagan from its Roseville space to Rocklin (2620 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1) and raw vegan The Green Boheme, which also recently relocated from north Sac to Roseville (1611 Lead Hill Boulevard, Suite 160).

’13

08

08

09

09

’13

’13 ’14

’13

5644 J Street 916. 451.4000

Sun-Wed 10:30am - 9:00pm Thurs - Sat 10:30am -9:30pm

12.03.15 | SN&R | 29

09

Addendum Regarding 69kV Transmission Line Realignment and Multi-use Bridge & Pathway Lighting

BOTH ALLE Y K AT Z LOCATIONS

In August 2015, the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) completed the extension of its Blue Line service to Cosumnes River College (CRC). The environmental process for the Blue Line extension, also known as the South Sacramento Corridor Phase 2 (SSCP2), was completed in 2008. RT has identified additional modifications to the SSCP2 project design, which are detailed in an Addendum that is now available for public review. These modifications include: 1) Relocation of SMUD 69kV poles (located west of Detroit Blvd.) out of the Union Pacific Railroad/SSCP2 corridor to an area west of the light rail extension.

2) Installation of lighting along the multi-use pedestrian/bike pathway (pathway) including the two bridges along the pathway (between the Center Parkway and Franklin light rail stations as well as a pathway from Franklin station to the Deer Lake neighborhood. ) The complete Addendum can be viewed online at www.blueline2crc.com and is available for public review at the Sam and Bonnie Pannell Community Center (2450 Meadowview Road) and the Valley Hi-North Laguna library (7400 Imagination Pkwy.).

For more information or to comment on this addendum, please leave a message on RT’s Blue Line to CRC information line at (916) 556-0113 or visit www.blueline2crc.com.

2 0 19 O S T REE T MIDTOW N 9 16.4 4 2.2 6 8 2

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7942 ARCADIA DRIVE CITRUS HEIGHTS 916.722.2682

Y

ou and your family are invited to 1st

beers. As Oak Park continues to flourish and

Friday in Oak Park. The goal of 1st

grow, we welcome our neighbors and friends

Friday in Oak Park is to share the

to enjoy a showcase of local musicians, art-

energy of the Oak Park Triangle district with

ists, venues, libations, and cuisine. We hope

the rest of Sacramento. Local businesses

that you will join us in making Oak Park a

and organizations, friends and families, work

destination not only on 1st Friday - but every

hard to cultivate and create a destination for

day of the week.

art, music, family fun, food, coffee, and craft

I love the makeup of the Oak Park community. I love the diversity of my neighborhood. I love the energy that is pushing the Renaissance of the Oak Park community.”

I love that Oak Park is seeing a resurgance in business and activities. It’s a grassroots community that is growing and building itself up. We want to be a part of it’s growth, however it decides to grow.”

- Terrence Johnson, Executive Director, Oak Park Business Association

- Jimmy Gayaldo, Co-Owner Broadway Coffee Co.

PRESENTED BY

I love Oak Park because it’s the place I raised my family. It’s always been home for us and we love all that Oak Park has to offer. A few of the things I love are the Farmer’s Market, Neighborhood and Business Associations, Parks, Coffee Shops and Community Events such as Gather and Movie in the Park at McClatchy Park.”

- Micah Baginski, Realtor, Grounded Real Estate

SPONSORED CONTENT BY THE OAK PARK BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

GIFT CERTIFICATES MAKE GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS REMEMBER, THE MORE YOU SHOP, THE MORE YOU SAVE. Alley Katz: $20 for $10 Baker’s Donuts: $10 for $5 Blue Sky Day Spa: $25 for $12.50 Broadway Coffee Co.: $5 for $2.50 Café Colonial: $10 for $5 Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen: $15 for $7.50 Edible Arrangements: $25 for $10 El Jardin Mexican Restaurant: $20 for $10 Federalist Public House: $10 for $8 Finnegan’s Public House: $20 for $10

Goldfield Trading Post: $25 for $12.50 Jimmy’s Barber Garage: $20 for $10 Lola’s Lounge: $20 for $10 Mana Japanese Restaurant & Korean BBQ: $25 for $15 Midikat Boutique: $25 for $6.25 Planet of the Vapes: $20 for $10 Sacramento Pipeworks: $100 for $60 Sandra Dee’s BBQ & Seafood: $25 for $17.50 Sei Bella Boutique: $25 for $6.25

Sky High Sports: $12 for $6 Sleek Wax Bar: $25 for $12.50 That Guy Eyewear: $50 for $25 The Computer Booter: $75 for $37.50 The Parlor Ice Cream Puffs: $5 for $3 Umai Savory Hot Dogs: $10 for $5 Uptown Café: $10 for $5 Vallejo’s $20 for $9 Yellow Cab Co. $20 for $10 Zanzibar Trading Co.: $25 for $15

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buying selling building

ALH 50

BUS

BLV

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W e ’ r e l o c a l r e a lt o r s here to help you.

T. HS 34T

dreaming

.

E AV T 1S

D.

12 18 8

916.905.2801 http://grounded.c i t y

W OAD

FRAN

1 The Plant Foundry 3500 Broadway 916-917-5787, plantfoundry.com

Dec 4th Seed Balls Demo 3-4pm, raffle, food, msic, drinks, photobooth + Christmas Trees for sale

F r i d ay | d e c . 4 t h s h aW n t h W a i t ’ s rebel quartet & tWo special guests 7:15pm - 8:00pm bre #01905435

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34 | SN&R | 12.03.15

Less schmaltz, more heart

By Patti RobeRts

Photo courtesy of B street theatre

thumb-wrestle for it ...

Handle With Care

4

Handle With Care; 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday; $23-$35. B Street Theatre, 2711 B Street; (916) 443-5300; http://bstreettheatre.org. Through January 3.

Grandma’s body is missing and has to be found in 24 hours so her granddaughter can ship it back to Israel for a proper Jewish burial. And it’s Christmas Eve. And the story here is presented in both English and Hebrew dialogue.

B Street Theatre’s Handle With Care, by playwright Jason Odell Williams, sounds like an improbable holiday mashup because it is. This light romantic comedy is filled with irrational coincidences, improbable plot lines and unlikely love connections.

But in the end, Handle With Care works because it gives us less schmaltz and more heart.

And most of the heart comes from the fourmember cast—a versatile Stephanie Altholz as the cynical, vulnerable granddaughter Ayelet, Eve Sigall as the well-intentioned grandmother Edna, Tyler Pierce as lonely mensch translator Josh, and Jason Kuykendall as the bumbling delivery driver Terrance.

The story takes place in a Virginia hotel room where Terrance is trying to explain to Ayelet that he’s lost her grandma’s body while trying to deliver it to the airport. Because Israeli visitor Ayelet only speaks Hebrew, Terrance calls in his childhood buddy Josh who “speaks Jewish” to translate. Turns out Josh only knows very limited Hebrew from his bar mitzvah days, but is willing to help.

We get the grandmother-granddaughter back stories through flashback scenes. And though granddaughter and her grandma only speak Hebrew, the scenes are delivered in English, and though a bit confusing at first, it all works.

Added charm arrives via the set changers in hotel uniforms who choreograph the rearranging of props between scenes of this sweet holiday love story. Ω

2 Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical is rarely performed these days—and it’s easy to see why. This Meredith Willson work, now being presented at the Woodland Opera House, does great disservice to the 1947 movie. The tone is uneven throughout, from exuberant to dull, the story line is choppy and the music, other than “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” is forgettable.

Additionally, Willson’s musicals generally rely on a lot of brass, and the Woodland production is hampered by a trumpeter not up to the task.

Still, the actors here do a wonderful job with the material.

Makenna Harding-Davis as young Susan Walker is outstanding and her scenes with Jeff Nauer, as Kris Kringle, are some of the best in the show.

Nauer, with rosy cheeks and a twinkle in his eye, could make anybody believe in Santa Claus.

Erik Catalan, as Fred Gailey, the man who wants to help Susan have a more normal childhood (despite their rather creepy relationship by 21st-century standards) is very good and holds the show together, though his scenes with Susan’s mother Doris (Crissi Cairns) extend the bounds of belief.

The shortcomings of this show should not be attributed to the Woodland Opera House, but to Meredith Willson. The cast and production crew here somehow still manage to make it fun.

—Bev SykeS

Miracle on 34th street: the Musical; 7:30 p.m. friday and saturday, 2 p.m. sunday; $17-$25 adults, $7-$12 children 17 and under.

Woodland opera house, 340 second street in Woodland; (530) 666-9617; www.woodlandoperahouse.org. through December 20.

Now playiNg

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2 Gentlemen of Verona

Gail Dartez directs a winning update of Shakespeare’s first bromance (also, his first comedy and perhaps his first play). Eric Craig and Russell Dow play two friends who become suitors of the same lounge singer (played by Chloe King) in Las Vegas. But true love and friendship can co-exist—with the help of mistaken identities, mischievous servants and a dog. F, Sa 8pm. Through 12/12. $10-$20. Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.org. J.C.

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A Christmas Carol

The B Street Theatre offers an offbeat version of the Dickens classic, which features humor for adults who know the story and physical comedy for children who don’t. With Scrooge and an ensemble of four wonderful actors playing all the non-Scrooge

1 FOUL

parts, the story moves quickly and keeps the audience laughing. Sa, Su 1pm and 4pm. Through 12/27. $15-20.

B Street Theatre, 2711 B Street; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreettheatre.org. B.S.

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Of Kites and Kings

This world premiere play by Gary Wright follows the rocky relationship between one of this country’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin and his illegitimate son William. Both are fighting tyrants—Ben, King George; William, his father—both with varying results. Katie Rubin provides comic relief as landlady Polly Stevenson. F 8pm; Sa,

Su 2pm and 8pm; W 6:30pm.

Through 12/13. $12-$35.

Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H Street; (916) 443-6772; www.sac theatre.org. B.S.

4

eighth year of original panto productions that have been adapted by Christine Nicholson, under the direction of Luther Hanson. British panto, for the uninitiated, is theater that incorporates song and dance with broad slapstick humor and audience participation. Though the show is mostly aimed at a young audience (especially the matinees), older audience members will be kept entertained by the show’s double entendres and risque jokes. Warning: audience participation is not just a bonus here—it’s basically required. F, Sa 8pm; Su 2pm. Through 12/13. $10-18. City Theatre, Sacramento City College Performing Arts Center, 3835 Freeport Boulevard; (916) 558-2174; www.city theatre.net. P.R.

Short reviews by Jim Carnes, Patti Roberts and Bev Sykes.

Peter Pan: A British Panto

This City Theatre show marks the theater’s

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5 SUBLIME– DON’T MISS

Santa Crawl Street lamp of desire.

PhOTO COURTESy OF GREEN VALLEy ThEATRE COMPANy

There is a light This weekend, Green Valley Theatre Company opens Striking 12—The Groove Lily Musical, a production with a story that begins on New Year’s Eve, when a weary working stiff decides to stay home. In a twist, this show takes viewers back to the same holiday 100 years prior, when Hans Christian Andersen’s famed Little Match Girl character is doing her sadwaif-in-the-snow routine. Striking 12 joins the past with the present via a character who shows up at the sad sack’s door in the interest of selling him some “full-spectrum holiday light bulbs.” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday; $18.

Grange Performing Arts Center, 3823 V Street; (916) 736-2664; www.greenvalleytheatre.com. Through December 20.

—Jeff Hudson

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by Jim LaNe

stand awestruck at Hardy’s tour de force performance, the pair remains repellent and inhuman. But that very inhumanity, observed from the safe distance of a I hope writer-director Brian Helgeland intended the movie theater, is itself an asset; there’s a can’t-looktitle of his new movie Legend to be ironic. His subjects away fascination to the story as Helgeland tells it. are real-life identical twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray (both Legend’s structure is occasionally ungainly, and played in the movie by Tom Hardy). Behind their thin despite the wealth of period detail in Tom Conroy’s facade of respectable nightclub owners, the Krays reveled production design and Caroline Harris’ costumes, it’s in being crime lords in London during the 1950s and ’60s, not always clear exactly what timespan the movie celebrities in their way. Still, as presented by Helgeland covers. References to gangs and individuals are and portrayed by Hardy, they are hardly the stuff dropped in almost offhandedly, as if Helgeland of legend. The Krays they give us are just assumes we’re familiar with all this. And about the most squalid pair of psychoperhaps some audiences are; the story If the paths you could ever hope to avoid of the Krays is much better known in meeting.

Great Britain than it is in America. director’s Helgeland, an Oscar winner Fascinating as Legend is in intention was to give for his L.A. Confidential showing the seamy underside of us an insight into what screenplay, tells his tale with Swingin’ 1960s London, Helgeland brutal aplomb. It helps that doesn’t go out of his way to give made these differently Hardy gives a performance—two us anyone to sympathize with. demented brothers performances, really—certain to The police who eventually brought tick, he doesn’t make everybody’s short list when the Krays down are shown as either award time rolls around. Hardy’s dual hapless or brutal. The closest thing we succeed. characterization clearly delineates both get is Reggie’s emotionally fragile wife men: Reggie with his working-class suavity, Frances, in the form of Browning’s perforaffably offering cups of tea to the Scotland mance, at once hard-boiled and wistful. Frances Yard coppers staking out his home waiting for a false narrates the movie in voice-over (Helgeland recycles move, boyishly courting his future wife Frances (Emily a dramatic device he used in L.A. Confidential, which Browning), the sister of an underling; and the paranoidhe in turn cribbed from Sunset Blvd.), but the role is schizophrenic Ronnie, babbling volcanically on inchoate rather under-written. Our sympathy goes out more to thoughts all his own, sporadically lashing out with vicious Browning’s doe-eyed acting than to Frances as she’s suddenness. In Hardy’s hands—as some say was the case written. We don’t learn what makes her tick any more in real life—the difference between the two brothers is than we do with Reggie or Ronnie, but at least she’s crystal clear, but it’s one of degree rather than of kind. His somebody to give a damn about. Ω Reggie has the same mile-wide vicious streak as Ronnie, but Reggie is more the master than the slave of it.

If Helgeland’s intention with his script (adapted from John Pearson’s book The Profession of Violence) was to give us an insight into what made these differently Poor Fair Good Very excellent demented brothers tick, he doesn’t succeed. Even as we

1 2 3 4 5 Good

36 | SN&R | 12.03.15

BY DANIEL BARNES & JIM LANE

fiLm CLiPS

5

Brooklyn

A young Irish émigré in the 1950s (Saoirse Ronan) is just beginning to feel at home in America, with a good job, better prospects and romance with a local boy (Emory Cohen), when a death in the family draws her back to Ireland, where she begins to feel the nostalgic (and romantic) lure of the ould sod. Ronan delivers gloriously on the promise she showed as an adolescent in Atonement, playing a timid, almost hopeless young woman coming to full flower, paradoxically, as a stranger in a strange land.

Expertly directed by John Crowley and adapted (equally well) by Nick Hornby from Colm Toibin’s novel, this is one of the smallest, most intimate and best movies of the year, with an aching suspense that bigger, brasher movies can only dream of. As Ronan’s sweet-faced suitor, Cohen gives a breakout performance. J.L.

3

Creed

Ryan Coogler’s alternately thrilling and deflating Creed marks Sylvester Stallone’s seventh go-round as Philly palooka turned heavyweight champ and Red scourge Rocky Balboa, and it’s easy to see why Stallone can’t quit this character. Rocky is Stallone’s soul and legacy, and while the part still fits him like a fingerless glove and pork pie hat, he was wise to take a supporting role here. Creed reinvigorates the franchise by introducing a new lead character and threading him into the Rocky-verse, and Stallone’s onscreen “blessing” is essential to making that transition legitimate. Even better for a franchise that has indulged in its share of racism, the film focuses on a young AfricanAmerican (Michael B. Jordan), and invests him with the same common-man toughness and rough-edged likeability that made Rocky so popular in the first place. Unfortunately, after an astonishing centerpiece fight sequence, the film plummets into tired convention—Creed proves just good enough to be disappointing. D.B.

1

The Good Dinosaur

Pixar’s latest feature wonders what life would be like if the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hadn’t hit Earth. According to writers Peter Sohn (who also directed), Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann and Bob Peterson, it would be like a western movie, with dinosaurs as farmers, cowboys and outlaws.

That’s not a story, it’s an idea, and a half-baked one at that. Sohn and company, whose prior credits consist mainly of grunt work for Pixar (animator, storyboard artist, “additional voices,” etc.), were pathetically unready for prime time, and the result of their blown opportunity is an unrelieved disaster. First and foremost, it’s an excruciating bore, a nonstory inhabited by dull noncharacters. The only variety comes when it’s even worse than boring, with nasty flashes of cruelty, sadism and ugliness. J.L.

2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2

Theseus wept. An alternately grim and goo goo-eyed wrap-up to the Hunger Games film franchise, Mockingjay—Part 2 reaps the mistakes sown by the previous entries. The gravest mistake, of course, was splitting the final book in Suzanne Collins’ teen-lit trilogy into two parts. Born of pure greed, this mercenary move resulted in two diluted storylines, a scarcity of action and an insane amount of screen time spent loitering in living rooms and unlit tunnels.

Jennifer Lawrence returns as the mercurial and courageous Katniss Everdeen, caught between her hatred of the near-future fascist government of Panem and her mistrust of the rebel leaders guarding her back. Beyond its simplistic political allegory, Mockingjay—Part 2 is supposed to be the emotional crescendo to an epic love triangle, but due a complete lack of chemistry between Lawrence and her callow male co-stars, it’s all hollow, and the gold-embossed Super Happy Ending feels fraudulent. D.B.

How can it be alive if it’s buried?

3

Victor Frankenstein

A clever but clunky riff on the Mary Shelley classic, Victor Frankenstein tells the story from the point-of-view of an unnamed, hunchbacked lab assistant who assumes the identity of Igor (Daniel Radcliffe). As it turns out, the horribly abused circus clown who becomes Igor isn’t even a hunchback— he just suffers from an untreated abscess that the eponymous mad scientist (James McAvoy) fixes in seconds. Cured of his afflictions, Igor begins assisting Frankenstein with his scientific experiments, a path that inevitably leads to the creation of a human monster. Director Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin) and screenwriter Max Landis (American Ultra) possess an ambition far beyond their range, attempting to graft together pieces of gothic horror, dark comedy, costume drama, existentialist philosophy and CGI adventure. The stitches don’t hold, and while Radcliffe does a fine job in the lead, an overacting McAvoy is an ill fit as the mad doctor. D.B.

3

The Night Before

Three lifelong pals (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie) get together for the last iteration of a ritual that dates from their teen years: a night of Christmas Eve revelry, this time, at long last, to wind up at their Holy Grail of parties, the legendary and mysterious Nutcracker Ball. The script by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Evan Goldberg and director Jonathan Levine is disorderly, often obnoxious and rather too strenuous in its efforts to out-Farrelly the Farrelly brothers.

But by golly, it’s pretty damn funny more often than not (Rogen does an extended riff on being strung out on too many drugs that’s a classic of its kind), with an engaging air of a circle of friends having larky fun. And for a holiday movie that’s absolutely not for the whole family, it’s surprisingly sweet at heart. J.L.

4

Room

Director Lenny Abrahamson brought a hazy commingling of whimsy and psychosis to last year’s Michael-Fassbender-in-a-fakehead quirkfest Frank that never worked for me, yet that same approach proves essential to the success of Room. Adapted from a novel by Emma Donoghue, who also wrote the screenplay, Room views the world through the wide-shut eyes of Jack (an eerily good Jacob Tremblay), a precocious 5-year-old boy who lives with his mother in what appears to be a heavily secured garden shed. As Jack’s mother, Brie Larson stands on the shoulders of her 2013 film Short Term 12 and establishes herself as one of the top craftspeople in her trade, laying out years of unspeakable horror with a gesture or a tremble. The sound, design, cinematography, story structure and performances are all impeccable; if the film were 15 percent less focused on the fuzzy-wuzzy, it might have even been great. D.B.

3

Secret in Their Eyes

An ex-FBI agent (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has been obsessed for 13 years with the unsolved rape and murder of the teenage daughter of a co-worker (Julia Roberts)—and now he’s sure he’s tracked down the culprit. Is it worth reopening old wounds—not only the mother’s grief, but his own unresolved feelings for the prosecutor (Nicole Kidman) on the cold case?

Loosely based on the Argentine movie that won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2009, director Billy Ray’s script is tense and serpentine, pinballing back and forth between 2001 and 2015 (sometimes Kidman’s hair style and the gray at Ejiofor’s temples are our only clues to what year it is), leading up to a rueful ending that’s oddly satisfying, if a bit far-fetched. Ray builds an effective aura of menace and frustrated justice, with fine acting all around. J.L.

4

Write a Letter to the Future about Climate Change

Spotlight

Writers Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy (who also directed) tell the story of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer-winning investigation into the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and the cover-up by the Archdiocese of Boston. The movie is a self-conscious throwback to crusading-reporter flicks of the past, but it’s also a taut story well-told, suspenseful despite the fact that the world knows how it all turned out, and energized by an authentic sense of the dogged research and footwork at the heart of serious investigative journalism. Of course, the stellar cast is a major asset: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Brian d’Arcy James as the Globe’s team of reporters, John Slattery and Liev Schreiber as their editors, plus Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup and Jamey Sheridan in major support. J.L.

1

Join Michael Pollan, Jane smiley, Bill McKibben & more!

Write a letter to the year 2100, addressed to your future family or community. Tell them how what happened to the climate in 2015 will impact them. Post your letter online now. This is a national letter-writing campaign coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris taking place now through December 11.

Trumbo

Long-winded, dreadfully noble and blithely slanderous, Trumbo is the sort of film that gives liberal pap a bad name.

Bryan Cranston stars as screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, an avowed Communist and American patriot whose career was sent underground by the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood blacklist. After serving an 11-month prison term, Trumbo reemerged as a highly prolific pseudonymous screenwriter of B-movies and Oscar-winning prestige pictures, eventually helping to crack the blacklist by receiving screen credit on Spartacus. It’s a great story, but with John McNamara’s flabby script and the direction of Austin Powers and Meet the Parents overseer Jay Roach, the film feels like a two-hour Saturday Night Live sketch without any jokes, all bad impressions and selfimportant speechifying. D.B.

w w w. L e t t e r s t o t h e F u t u r e . o r g

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Art Mix @ Crocker Art Museum: $10 for $2.50 Club Fantasy Admission: $20 for $8 Crest Theatre Admission: $10 for $5 Laughs Unlimited: $20 for $10 Powerhouse Pub Admission: $15 for $3.75 The Emerald Cup @ Sonoma County Fairgrounds (12/12-12/13): $106.49 for $69.22 Handel’s Messiah & The Carols of Christmas @ Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (12/17): $15 for $7.50 B Side Players @ Harlow’s (12/18): $12 for $6 Joe Kye: Joseph in The Well @ Brickhouse Gallery (12/19): $15 for $7.50 The Rat Pack Christmas Show @ Harlow’s (12/20): $15 for $7.50 Killah Priest @ Harlow’s (12/20): $15 for $7.50 Big Eyed Phish (A tribute to Dave Matthews Band) @ Harlow’s (12/26): $10 for $5

NO SERVICE FEES! Us e pr om o

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Pr om ot io na l co de ca n be us ed m ul tip le tim es . Of fe r ex pi re s 12 /2 1/15 .

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X M AS 2 0 1 5

Hannah Jane Kile finds her path, keeps the faith

by Janelle Bitker janelleb@newsreview.com

The rest of Little Blue Heron reflects similarly on darker moments in Kile’s life, as well as the growth that came from them. While maintaining a general Americana style, she also dabbles in blues, jazz and theatrical singing. Sometimes her notes soar endlessly, sometimes she adopts a familiar twang. Other times, her voice rings deep and raspy.

It’s quite the departure from her debut album, Becoming Someone, which she released Front, center and ready. when she was 18. While Becoming Someone sounds stripped-down and fragile, often with just Kile and her piano, Little Blue Heron wins you over Hannah Jane Kile exudes remarkable with its range, power and charm. Kile assembled self-assurance. It’s a somewhat recent development a full band, utilizing piano, guitar, upright bass, for the 20-year-old Auburn singer-songwriter, drums, organ, violin, banjo, mandolin and pedal and it’s well-documented in her coming-of-age steel, among other instruments.

Americana record Little Blue Heron.

Though not quite so full, Kile will perform “It’s about admitting when you’re wrong, with bassist Barry Prior and drummer Corey becoming independent, becoming your own person, Morgan Strange for her Sacramento release show not letting the other people in your life dictate who on Thursday, December 10, at 24th Street you are,” Kile says.

Theatre. In the future, she’s looking Finding the courage to be herself forward to playing a free courtyard wasn’t an easy path. Growing up in gig at the Mondavi Center in the what she says was a rocky house“I feel like to spring, and hopes to embark hold, Kile found solace in music: do theater, you upon a national tour in the Bonnie Raitt, Ella Fitzgerald, summer. And she’s already have to fit into a box.

Carole King. She started writgot a stockpile of songs ing her own songs by age 12 and To be a songwriter, you ready for the next album. became fluent on four instrudon’t.”

Does Kile still wonder ments before she was an adult. about that Manhattan theater But her dream was theater; Hannah Jane Kile school? Sometimes. And maybe the goal was Broadway. She flew singer-songwriter she’ll become one of those to Los Angeles to audition for a musicians who also performs in prestigious Manhattan theater school. the local theater productions every so Family and friends all promised they’d help often. But for now, Kile is focusing all her her to find a way to pay tuition and make it happen. energy on music. She’s confident it all worked out And Kile got in. Her months of practice paid off. for the best.

She was accepted.

“I feel like to do theater, you have to fit into a “Then, the people faded away. They didn’t help, box. To be a songwriter, you don’t,” she says. “I don’t they didn’t do anything,” she says. “It was really have to change what I look like, I don’t have to have hard to understand that sometimes, even when you a perfect body, I don’t have to be extremely flexible. I work as hard as you possibly can, things just aren’t just get to be who I am. That’s beautiful.” Ω possible.”

PHOTO BY LUKE FITZ

TICKETS MAKE GREAT STOCKING STUFFERS

Whatever the stage

That difficult time inspired “Chaileen’s Song,” the most haunting and vocally impressive track on Little Blue Heron.

“It’s about not letting the world take your light, take away who you really are,” Kile says. “And not allowing yourself to become bitter or resentful over something you have no control over.”

Check out Hannah Jane Kile at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, December 10, at 24th Street Theatre, 2791 24th Street. No cover. Learn more www.hannahjanekile.com.

Local heroes and symphonic royalty

Rockin’ symphony: It’s not often that people stand up, whistle and scream

—Willie ClArk

SN&R

—AAron CArnes

band led by former Voice contestant Lindsey Pavao and Richie Smith. The

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group performed as a dark, atmospheric six-piece. Drummer Christian Midthun, a tall extra-bearded man who also plays with Cavern, drove the songs with tribal, rhythmic beats, while the band’s keyboardist, Kylie Anderson, filled it out with layers of gothy, ethereal chords. Anderson also provided eerie vocal harmonies with Pavao. There wasn’t a lot of onstage energy, but the group delivered a unique sound for its first full-blown gig, nonetheless.

Former locals and current L.A. residents Babe took the second slot, bringing a much more strippeddown, guitar-bass-drum rock sound.

The guys mix classic rock, roots music and some funky licks with a lot of charisma. Singer Derek Thomas’ soulful voice has a lot of potential—and he already has the confidence of a rock star. The closing song “Circles” was a favorite. By the end, the whole crowd was singing along and even chanting the band’s name.

Epsilona received thunderous applause when it took the stage at the end of the night. The band was the loudest of the evening, but its two guitars produced a very cool washed-out tone reminiscent of early Cure albums. When the drummer did go hard, it sent chills up my spine from the shift in dynamics. The strongest song was a mostly instrumental and powerful post-punk encore, which ended in a short, extremely quiet vocal section—making for an eerie, atypical ending for an overall excellent show.

during an orchestral performance.

Then again, The Music of Queen isn’t exactly a normal orchestra show.

It was clear from the word “go”— when the conductor left stage and returned again because the audience reaction wasn’t loud enough—that this wasn’t going to be a typical night out.

The Music of Queen, part of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s resurrection season, and its first pop concert of the year, combined the orchestra with Queen’s rock ’n’ roll and a four-piece band. They played to nearly 2,500 people in the packed Sacramento Community Center on Saturday night.

For most people, just hearing Queen’s music played live seemed like enough. The problem was the music relied quite a bit heavily on the band, and not so much on the orchestra.

That’s not by itself a bad thing, but I really would have liked to have heard the orchestra used more in the overall arrangements. The plugged-in band also often overpowered the acoustic orchestra—the lower register of the bass guitar and bass drum were especially overpowering and weren’t playing well with the Community Center’s acoustics.

The slower songs were an exception and gave the orchestra a little more room to shine, as was the sweet, low brass section in “Another One Bites the Dust,” and the orchestralearning arrangements of “Stone Cold Crazy,” and, not surprisingly, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

But the orchestra was mostly reserved for color—sprinkles on the sundae—instead of really utilizing its strengths. There were also a few small flubs, and a couple of areas where the timing just didn’t quite seem spot on.

Mostly, The Music of Queen just seemed a little too hesitant to stray away from the original source material, and played everything just a little too straight. At an orchestra show—even one as different and rocking as Queen—the orchestra should never be playing second fiddle, even to Freddie Mercury.

w w w. n e w s r e v i e w. c o m

Promising debuts: Last Saturday night Epsilona singer-guitarist Minh Le was legitimately surprised, not to mention grateful, that the band’s release show for its debut EP Thinkers at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub had sold out—before doors opened, no less. He even got a little choked up. But Epsilona kept the talking to a minimum, and gave the crowd a solid, rocking 45 minutes, including an encore that host James Cavern demanded from them.

In fact, it was a good show all around with two killer bands opening the night. First up was Trophii, a new

Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off

SouNd advice

12.03.15 | SN&R | 39

04 FRI

04 FRI

05 SAT

06 Sun

Iamsu!

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood

Maddie & Tae

Frank Sinatra Tribute

Ace of SpAdeS, 7 p.m., $20

HArlow’S reStAurAnt & niGHtcluB, 9 p.m., $25-$28

The Bay Area never produces just rappers.

Out there they work in movements. Such is the case for the rise of Iamsu! and the HBK Gang. Iamsu! is bringing the final leg of his I Love My Squad World Tour to Ace of Spades. He’s been as far as France and Australia; it’s only right we help welRAp come him back to the Golden State.

The tour is named after a track from Iamsu!’s debut record, Sincerely Yours, released in 2014. But he’s tweeted reports of sneak-peek listens at shows of his upcoming KILT 3 mixtapes. Maybe he’ll be kind to Sacramento? 1417 R Street, www.hbkiamsu.com.

—BlAke GilleSpie

At the beginning of this year, the Black Crowes officially broke up after what appears to be a pretty ugly BLuES ROCK dispute between guitarist Rich Robinson and older brother and frontman Chris Robinson. The latter has gone on to turn what was once an experimental side project, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, into his main gig and the band is currently touring extensively, as it has from its inception in 2011. As one might expect, CRB doesn’t sound terribly different from the Black Crowes; showgoers can expect to hear some familiar songs and even “Hard to Handle,” the Otis Redding cover. 2708 J Street, http://chris robinsonbrotherhood.com.

—deenA drewiS

40 | SN&R | 12.03.15

Ace of SpAdeS, 7 p.m., $20-$22

HArlow’S reStAurAnt & niGHtcluB, 6 p.m., $10-$15

When the words “Nashville,” “female duo,” and “country pop” all show up in the same sentence, there are few other acts that fit that bill better than Maddie & Tae. But don’t mistake the pair of 20-year-olds for country confections; their breakout hit “Girl in a Country Song” is an indictment of the manicpixie cowgirl (Daisy Dukes, an insatiable appetite for sitting shotgun pOp COunTRY in a pickup truck) that seems to show up on the lips of every bro-country artist out there. Which is not to say that this is heavy, pensive music—it’s still a lot of country-pop fun, to be sure. The duo headlines B92.5’s Holiday Fan Jam. 1417 R Street, www.maddieandtae.com.

—deenA drewiS

Let’s go back to the 1950s, when the radio was important, “Come Fly With Me” was on the air and Frank Sinatra was king. Or the 1960s. Or the 1970s. Or, to some JAzz/pOp extent, the 1980s. Even after his death, Sinatra remains king of the era, a legend. Celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday with a crew of local artists who will be covering his work all night. Expect to hear the classics as well as some surprising choices deep in his catalogue. Peter Petty will host the show, whose diverse, not-jazz lineup includes David Houston, Exquisite Corps, the FreeBadge Serenaders, Jacob Golden and Hans Eberbach. 2708 J Street, www.facebook.com/events/515771815256105.

—JAnelle Bitker

YOU CAN THROW A ROCk AND HIT A NEW DOOM PROJECT’S REHEARSAL SPACE.

07 MON

08 T UE

The Garden

The Dandy Warhols

Wrekmeister Harmonies

Third Space arT collecTive, 7 p.m., $10-$13

harlow’S reSTauranT & nighTclub, 8 p.m., $25-$30

The Garden are a pretty strange entry into the normally fuzzed-out, bubblegum, garagerock Burger Records catalog. There certainly is a punk-rock fervor. But the two-piece, which is made up of identical twins, brings something much darker and weirder to the music than just about anything happening on Burger or the world of punk rock. The sometime-dress-wearing brothers pull apart punk at its roots and reassemble it in a way that mixes dark electronics, ’80s hip-hop shout-along hooks and eerie melodies, playing sometimes as a drum-bass POST-PUNk duo, and other times just singalong to electronic backing tracks. 946 Olive Drive in Davis, www.thegardentwins.com.

—aaron carneS

livE MuSiC

votED bESt bar in roSEvillE! 2015 -prESS tribunE

DEC 04 DEC 05 DEC 11 DEC 12 DEC 18 DEC 19 DEC 25 DEC 26 DEC 31 jan 15 jan 16 jan 22 jan 23 jan 29

Simple Creation tune Buggy JaCoB nolan Billy manzik andrew CaStro whiSkey alley CloSed denver J radio heavy n.y.e Skippy & the Bowl JunkieS the hill in mind Brian rogerS denver J tune Buggy

27 Beers on Draft trivia monDays @ 6:30pm open mic weDnesDays sign-ups @ 7:30pm pint night monDays 5-8pm

101 Main StrEEt, roSEvillE 916-774-0505 · lunCh/dinner 7 dayS a week fri & Sat 9:30pm - CloSe 21+

/Bar101roSeville

Although it seems like you can throw a rock and hit a new doom project’s rehearsal space, this realization can be a positive experience. J.R. Robinson is the mastermind behind the fabulous Wrekmeister Harmonies collective, which just released the two-track Night of Your Ascension opus on boutique label Thrill Jockey Records. And while it’s highly unlikely all of the players (members of the Body, Einsturzende AMBIENT DOOM Neubauten, Indian, Yakuza, Buried At Sea) who contributed to his new album will be in Sacramento, expect a lesson in ambiance among well-calculated bursts of distortion and screams. 1517 21st Street, www.wrekmeisterharmonies.net.

—deena drewiS

Every nfl gameday

Bud Lt & Coors Pints Pitchers

creST TheaTre, 8 p.m., $38-$125 Variety shows were once a big thing of the past, yet Scott Bradlee has done much to bring them back. The talented pianist, composer and arranger caught VARIETY SHOW attention on YouTube and now he’s a household name in jazz, free-form and pop circles. His method includes making catchy pop songs sound as if they were written in a different time period. Whether you’re into current radio staples or just curious to hear some well-executed versions done with heaps of gusto and pizzazz, chances are you’ll be leaving his show with a big smile.

1013 K Street, http://postmodernjukebox.com.

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com 12/3 7PM $15

COMING SOON

12/7 8PM $25

!!!

THE DANDY WARHOLS

STEREOLAD (TRIBUTE TO STEREOLAB), GYMBOYS

MIRANDA LEE RICHARDS

12/4 8PM $25ADV

AN EVENING WITH CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD

12/8 8PM $12

THAT 1 GUY

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Pints Jameson, Muerto, Smirnoff

12/5 9PM $30ADV

GOAPELE

12/9 8PM $18

CHARLIE HUNTER TRIO 12/11 8PM $22

Serving Grub Every Game tamales, dogs, nachos & more!* 916.652.4007 *weather permitting

4007 Taylor Road, Loomis, CA countryclubsaloon.com

—eddie JorgenSen

—eddie JorgenSen

(CHK CHK CHK)

2 $ 00 7 $ 00 4 $ 00 4 NFL Sunday Ticket � 6 TV's $ 50

10 T HU

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox

STarliTe lounge, 8 p.m., $10

Among the Dandy Warhols’ many fine qualities is the fact that they don’t seem to have aged or changed much in the last decade-and-a-half, NEO-PSYCHEDELIC which makes you feel like perhaps you haven’t either. The fourpiece is still playing its particular brand of art-school garage pop, still riding the success of its irresistible tunes like “Bohemian Like You.” The band hasn’t released much new material in the last couple of years, and from its rambling, possibly drug-addled, very fun bio, one gets the impression that they’ve avoided getting stuck in the hamster wheel of the industry and are all the better for it.

2708 J Street, www.dandywarhols.com.

Photo courtesy of scott bradlee

Photo by jaimin townsely

06 SUN

12/6 6PM $10

A TRIBUTE TO FRANK SINATRA AND HIS 100 BIRTHDAY (ALL AGES)

TOMMY CASTRO AND THE PAINKILLERS

12/12 12/13 12/14 12/17 12/18 12/18 12/19 12/20 12/20 12/23 12/26 12/31 01/02 01/16 01/17 01/24 1/29 1/30 02/3 02/5

Strangelove The Dustbowl Revival/Leftover Cuties

Nick Lowe and Los Sraitjackets Suga Free / B Legit Carpenters Tribute B Side Players Midnight Players Killah Priest / Ras Kass Rat Pack Christmas Peter Petty Big Eyed Fish Mustache Harbor Todd Morgan & the Emblems Stu Hamm Band JD Mc Pherson/HoneyHoney Chicano Batman Duendes – A Night of Falmenco Mania: The Live Beatles Experience The Motet Joy & Madness/Nickel Slots

12.03.15 | SN&R | 41

BADLANDS

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

THURSDAY 12/3

FRIDAY 12/4

#TBT and 5 Card Stud with throwback video requests, 8pm, call for cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Spectacular Saturdays, 9pm, call for cover

SIMPLE CREATION, 9:30pm, call for cover

TUNE BUGGY, 9:30pm, call for cover

KEAK DA SNEAK, 8pm, $17-$20

N-men Party, 8pm, $10

BAR 101 List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

BLUE LAMP

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

GREATE DANE, FUNK ADVISOR; 8pm, call for cover

THE BOARDWALK

THE AGGROLITES, SKUNK FUNK; THE SUBDUDES, 8pm, $34-$0

COUNTRY CLUB SALOON

Bob Woods’ Swampbilly Geezer Christmas Party, 5pm, call for cover

WHISKEY ALLEY, 9pm, no cover

4007 Taylor Rd., Loomis; (916) 652-4007

THE COZMIC CAFE

Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover

DISTRICT 30

Tommie Sunshine, 10pm, $5

FACES

Everything Happens karaoke, dance and swim; 9pm-2am, no cover

Absolut Fridays dance party, 9pm, $5-$10

Staff Drag Night, 9pm, no cover if dressed in drag

FOX & GOOSE

MARTY COHEN AND THE SIDEKICKS, 8pm, no cover

ZYAH BELLE, JOSHUA WASHINGTON; 9pm, $5

JULIE AND THE JUKES, 9pm, $5

594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

Panic City 10pm, call for cover

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST

BLACKWATER, 9pm, $5

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

MACH 5, 9pm, $5 GOAPELE, 10pm, $30-$35

1603 J St., (916) 476-5076

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

HARLOW’S

CHK CHK CHK, GYMBOYZ; 8pm, $15

CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD, 9pm, $25-$28

THE HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL

Badass Monster Killer afterparty, 9pm, no cover

THE ALIENATED, 9pm, $5

LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

JACK STANFILL & THE YOUNG LIONS, THE SIGNIFIERS; 7pm, $6

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693 2565 Franklin Blvd., (916) 455-1331 1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931

MIDTOWN BARFLY

1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779

Sunday Mass with heated pool, drag show, 2pm, no cover

CARTER WINTER, 9pm M, $5; Tacos and Trivia, 7pm Tu Trivia night, 7:30pm Tu; Bingo, 1pm W Frank Sinatra 100th Birthday Tribute, 6pm, $10-$15

THE DANDY WARHOLS, M; THAT 1 GUY, Tu; CHARLIE HUNTER TRIO, W

Rockin’ Rides 6 car and bicycle show, 11am, no cover

Record Club, M; Cactus Pete’s 78 RPM Record Roundup, 8pm Tu

SEE SPOT PLAY, NICK NEGRETE; 8pm, $5

That Thing on Friday, 9pm, call for cover

thUrSday Free dinner 8-9pm live mUSic aFter dec 3rd locKed & loaded Friday dec 4th toyS 4 totS Bring in a toy, get in For Free & a Free prime riB dinner With a toy BetWeen 7-8pm dec 10th BUcK Ford chriStmaS With a Free tUrKey dinner 8-9pm and Band dec 17th Flat BUSted and Free BUttermilK Fried chicKen B 92.5 hot coUntry FridayS With .50 cent BeerS & $2 JacK n coKeS 7-9pm & .92.5 cent Shot SpecialS all night!

21 & over SatUrday nightS! 18 & over college SUnday FUndayS! coverS vary KaraoKe Up Front WedneSday-SUnday night

Free dance leSSonS nightly

1320 Del paso blvD

Stoneyinn.com | 916.927.6023

SN&R

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12.03.15

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M; Openmic comedy, 8pm Tu Salsa Wednesday, 7:30pm W, $5

Knci WedeneSdayS 18 & over college night 2,3,& $4 drinK SpecialS til 11pm

|

EDM and karaoke, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5 Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub quiz, 7pm Tu; All Vinyl Wednesdays, 6pm W, no cover

upcoming events

42

BONEY-JAY, 8pm Tu, $10; The Show Show art show, 7pm W, nocover THE BLASTERS, GAMBLERS MARK, BLAME THE BISHOP; 7pm Tu, $15

PINK MARTINI’s Joy to the World, 8pm, $32-$72

314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/7-12/9 Big Mondays happy hour all night, M; Karaoke, Tu; Trapicana, W Trivia Night, 6:30pm M, no cover; Open-mic night, 7:30pm W, no cover

The Show for Joe, 5pm, call for cover

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

Hey local bands!

SUNDAY 12/6 Sunday Tea Dance and Beer Bust, 4pm, call for cover

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 6:30pm, $13-$15

1016 K St., (916) 737-5770

Want to be a hot show?

Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to sactocalendar@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.

SATURDAY 12/5

THURSDAY 12/3

FRIDAY 12/4

SATURDAY 12/5

SUNDAY 12/6

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/7-12/9

NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN

Jazz session with Naked Lounge Quintet, 8:30pm M, no cover

1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

OLD IRONSIDES

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504

ANDREW CASTRO, HERO’S LAST MISSION, XOCHITL, CASEY GOAT; 8pm, $7

ON THE Y

670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731

THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE

THE GRATEFUL BLUEGRASS BOYS, 8pm, $15

13 Main St., Winters; (530) 795-1825

Lipstick!

9pm, $5

Guest chefs serve $5 plates, M; Karaoke, 9pm Tu; Open-mic, 9pm W

Nerdy Saturday with Ni Kara, karaoke and Call of Duty, 9pm, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm Tu

MISNER & SMITH, 8pm, $20

DELLA MAE, 7pm, $17

PISTOL PETE’S

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, W, no cover

140 Harrison Ave., Auburn; (530) 885-5093

POWERHOUSE PUB

BRODIE STEWART, call for time and cover

614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586

LOST IN SUBURBIA, 9:30pm, call for cover

DAZE ON THE GREEN, 9:30pm, call for cover

THE PRESS CLUB

KYLE ROLAND, 3pm, call for cover

Live band karaoke, 8pm Tu, call for cover; WILLIE KAY, 7pm W

Pop 40 dance party, 9pm, $5

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

SHADY LADY SALOON

TESSIE MAE, 9pm, no cover

1409 R St., (916) 231-9121

STARLITE LOUNGE

1517 21st St., (916) 704-0711

Radio 70 with DJ Larry, 8pm M, call for cover; JENNIE VEE, VOWWS; 8pm W

CRESCENT KATZ, 9pm, no cover

HUMBLE WOLF, 9pm, no cover

ALEX JENKINS, 9pm, no cover

GD 50 Grateful Dead Tribute, 8:30pm, call for cover

ASTRAL CULT, WHITE FUZZY BLOODBATH, SORORITY; 8pm, call for cover

BELL WITCH, WREKMEISTER HARMONIES, CHRCH; 8pm Tu

STONEY’S ROCKIN RODEO

LOCKED AND LOADED, 9pm, $5

New B92.5 Fridays, 7pm, $5-$10

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Country DJ dancing, 9:30pm W, $5-$10

TORCH CLUB

X-TRIO, 5pm, no cover; STACY JONES, 9pm, $6

PAILER & FRATIS, 5:30pm, no cover; WALKING SPANISH, 9pm, $10

JESSICA MALONE, 5:30pm, no cover; AFROFUNK EXPERIENCE, 9pm, $8

CANDYE KANE, 4pm, $7; Front the Band karaoke, 8pm, no cover

TIM O’NEIL BAND, 8pm Tu, no cover; KERI CARR BAND, 9pm W, $5

BRYSON TILLER, 7pm, $25

REVEREND HORTON HEAT, BELLRAYS, VINTAGE VANDALS; 6pm W, $20-$22

1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

Zyah Belle with Joshua Washington 9pm Friday, $5.

Fox & Goose Soul

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES

DAVID ALLEN COE, BLACKWATER, JOSH BUDRO BAND; 7pm, $22-$25

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300

IAMSU!, SHOW BANGA, ANJALI WORLD; 7pm,$20-$22

MADDIE & TAE, DALLAS SMITH; 7pm, $20-$22

CAFE COLONIAL

Consolcade retro console gaming, 6pm Tu, no cover

3520 Stockton Blvd., (916) 736-3520

THE COLONY

3512 Stockton Blvd., (916) 718-7055

SHINE

50 WATT HEAVY, CASSETTE IDOLS; 8pm, $6

1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

Print ads start at $6/wk. www.newsreview.com or (916) 498-1234 ext. 5 Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm.

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*Nominal fee for adult entertainment. All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication.

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The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

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Abstract painter Samuel Santi will have his last “Large Paintings for Small Purses” show (moving to Mendocino). Saturday, December 12th at 1725 I St. Behind EZ on I where folk singers gather.

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please co

Lies and other holiday small talk A friend of mine is dating a married man.

I felt nauseated when she told me that her only disappointment is that after dinner and sex, her lover warns her to never call him. He wants to keep the rendezvous secret from his wife and kids. His rule makes her wonder whether he has other girlfriends besides her. I care about this young woman. If she finds Mr. Right someday and marries, will she ever be able to trust him?

inquiring about what kind of support might be needed. A kind person asks how you’re holding up, and invites you for an outing to distract you from your loneliness. Any adult who shrinks from extending genuine care and concern is not worth your time.

Holiday party small talk will be easier once you accept that there’s no reason to be embarrassed or ashamed about ending a relationship, or arriving solo at an event.

The next time someone asks about your former boyfriend, take a moment to feel Trust isn’t a byproduct of love; it’s an proud of breaking free from the unhealthy ingredient required to love. We can’t trust relationship. Then say, “I ended that if we’re not honest, and honesty is an relationship, and I’m open to the inside job. If we’re truthful with next heart-centered adventure ourselves about who we are the universe has waiting at our best and worst, and An affair is for me.” we accept ourselves (even just dinner and If the person presses as we continue to evolve sex with someone you for details of the and transcend), we can breakup, say: “People be confident in self-trust. who is willing to come and go in our lives.

When honesty and trust include you in their That’s natural, isn’t it?” are alive within us, those schedule.

And, if you don’t want to qualities flow naturally talk about it, let others know: from us.

“Our relationship ended two Your friend’s dilemma months ago, and so many other seems to spring from an attraction things have happened in my life, and the to secrecy and control. Some people imagine that having a secret makes them special. world, that I would love to talk about.” Then talk about something else. If he or she acts Other people believe that an affair is proof like you owe an explanation, smile, feel the of how desirable they are—she or he is so positive energy that results from ending an irresistible it’s worth breaking vows. The unhealthy relationship, then excuse yourself reality is much darker. An affair is just and find someone interesting to chat with. Ω dinner and sex with someone who is willing to include you in their schedule, but not make you a priority in their life. When your friend decides to be honest about what she deserves, she will end the affair. Unless, of MedItAtIon of tHe Week course, her boyfriend wakes up first and “Play will be to the 21st breaks it off. Or his wife does. century what work was to the My last relationship ended after my boyfriend cheated and lied about it. We were together nearly a decade and have been broken up for two months. What is the simplest but most sincere way to respond to people at holiday parties who ask about him? I feel alone because I know my other women friends are in relationships in which they are cared for and loved. Please help.

Too often bad news inspires people to be curious instead of compassionate. They ask impertinent questions, rather than

last 300 years of industrial society—our dominant way of knowing, doing and creating value,” writes Pat Kane in The Play Ethic. Are you having any fun?

Write, email or leave a message for Joey at the News & Review. Give your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@newsreview.com.

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside: The 420 49 Choosing a Dispensary 53 Capital Cannabis Map 58

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Don’t cross the line

Bring in any competitor’s coupon* and we’ll beat it by $5 *That is CA Medical Board Standards Compliant.

Must present competitor’s ad. Some restrictions apply.

Is it legal to sell weed in other states?

—Pez D. Spencer It depends on what you mean by that question. Can you sell weed in Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Colorado, California and a few other states? Yes. You have to follow a bunch of rules and pay your taxes, but yes, it is legal. In fact, it is more legal than ever. Alaska’s Marijuana Control Board just voted to allow some recreational—er, adult use—retail cannabis dispensaries to allow onsite consumption of cannabis. How cool is that? And new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already started to work on legalizing cannabis.

This is incredible. Just think: You can be high all day on the Alaska Highway. How about a cannabis-tasting road trip from San Diego all the way to Fairbanks? Good times. Hell, you could start in Mexico, since Mexico’s Supreme Court just ruled that growing and smoking marijuana is a “fundamental human right” as defined in the Mexican Constitution.

Daaaaamn. Way to go Mexico!

But I digress. You can’t sell weed across state lines. Ever. Interstate trafficking of No one should narcotics is a felony. (Remember, marigo to jail for juana is still a Schedule 1 narcotic in the marijuana. eyes of the federal government.) You can get up to five years in a hurry, and if you are caught with more than, say, 100 pounds, you could get up to 20 years. And federal time is different than state or county time. The feds are big on “day for day” sentences, meaning you do each and every single freaking day of your sentence. It is extremely difficult to get time off for good behavior. Don’t do it.

Since we are talking about prison, now would be a good time to discuss the issue of people still in jail for cannabis “crimes.”

Obama just pardoned a few folks, but there are still hundreds, if not thousands, of people in prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses. No one should go to jail for marijuana. Ever.

During this holiday season, let’s all take some time to reach out to our imprisoned brothers and sisters. The website www.pow420.com has a list of just about all of the marijuana POWs in the United States.

Please write someone a letter or a postcard. And call and email your elected officials. Stay active. Weed is still winning.

Any fall harvest favorites?

—Chron N. Suer Yes! I have to say that Oregon is steady smashing the game right now. The Oregon SunGrown Growers’ Guild grows some incredible weed and great flavors. I am still on the Yayger (could be the greatest microstrain ever, and will probably migrate to Cali soon), and this strain from Rogue Buds called Omega that is full of fruit flavors and happy motivation. Here in Cali, I found a nice Humboldt Girl Scout Cookies. I am also hella looking forward to the Emerald Cup cannabis competition in Santa Rosa this December 12 and 13.

Find out more at www.theemeraldcup.com. I love outdoor weed more than I love indoor. That is all. Ω

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Association) of El Dorado County. “You want a place to be responsive to what your needs are rather than try steering you into what they want to sell you.”

Vaughn says the dispensary should feel like going to a regular pharmacy, where a pharmacist would listen to your questions and help you find what’s best for you, without being too pushy on products.

New PatieNt

“ It’s just like going to a restaurant — no different.”

Originally published on June 5, 2014.

10 Questions When shopping for a dispensary, make sure to ask: 1. What products do you carry?

2. Which strains do you carry?

3. Do you carry any exclusive strains?

4. What do you think about the type I’m seeking?

5. Where do your products come from?

6. Do you test your cannabis?

7. What are your security measures?

8. Do you hold fundraisers or patient-support activities?

9. What are your prices?

10. Do you have discounts, sales or specials?

Produced by the Custom Publications division of News & Review.

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Of course, you need to ask questions of your own to make sure the dispensary carries the variety of cannabis you need and the method of delivery you prefer (for instance, inhaled or edible). You may be able to learn some of the answers online, if the dispensary is part of an informational network (such as 420101.com) or has its own website.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask about price — it can vary from dispensary to dispensary. As Laleh Shakib, manager of Sacramento’s Horizon Non-Profit Collective, explains: “Everyone wants a deal, but some people want the best.”

$15

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or patients with their first prescription for medical marijuana, finding a dispensary can seem like a daunting task. The greater Sacramento area offers many options — apart from proximity, what should patients consider? What questions should they ask when calling or visiting a dispensary?

Turns out, the most important question may be the one you ask yourself.

According to local dispensary managers, the key to finding the right place for you is finding a dispensary that feels right: comfortable environment, good employees and, of course, the right cannabis.

So, that key question is: How do you feel about it?

“It’s just like going to a restaurant — no different,” says Kevin Holmes, manager of Cloud 9 in Sacramento. “Everybody’s got different taste. You look for the things you personally like: cleanliness, artwork, what’s the vibe, are they playing good music, are people friendly, what’s the lighting like? And how much attention is your budtender or the person at the window paying to you?”

Holmes adds that — just like a restaurant — if you have a good, memorable experience, you’ll keep coming back again and again.

Also reflect on what the dispensary staff asked about you. Not only does it show their interest, but it also demonstrates their knowledge about cannabis itself.

“There’s such a wide spectrum of what people need to have,” says Matt Vaughn from MMCA (Medical Marijuana Caregivers

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FRee will aStRology

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by rob brezsny

FOR THE WEEk OF DECEMBER 3, 2015 ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Charm is a way of

getting the answer ‘yes’ without having asked any clear question,” wrote French author Albert Camus. I have rarely seen you better poised than you are now to embody and capitalize on this definition of “charm,” Aries. That’s good news, right? Well, mostly. But there are two caveats.

First, wield your mojo as responsibly as you can. Infuse your bewitching allure with integrity.

Second, be precise about what it is you want to achieve—even if you don’t come right out and tell everyone what it is. Resist the temptation to throw your charm around haphazardly.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I suspect that in the

coming days you will have an uncanny power to make at least one of your resurrection fantasies come true. Here are some of the possibilities.

(1) If you’re brave enough to change your mind and shed some pride, you could retrieve an expired dream from limbo. (2) By stirring up a bit more chutzpah that you usually have at your disposal, you might be able to revive and even restore a forsaken promise. (3) Through an act of grace, it’s possible you will reanimate an ideal that was damaged or abandoned.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To the other 11 signs

of the zodiac, the Way of the Gemini sometimes seems rife with paradox and contradiction. Many non-Geminis would feel paralyzed if they had to live in the midst of so much hubbub. But when you are at your best, you thrive in the web of riddles. In fact, your willingness to abide there is often what generates your special magic. Your breakthroughs are made possible by your high tolerance for uncertainty. How many times have I seen a Gemini who has been lost in indecision but then suddenly erupts with a burst of crackling insights? This is the kind of subtle miracle I expect to happen soon.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In September of 1715,

a band of Jacobite rebels gathered for a guerrilla attack on Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Their plan was to scale the walls with rope ladders, aided by a double agent who was disguised as a castle sentry. But the scheme failed before it began.

The rope ladders turned out to be too short to serve their intended purpose. The rebels retreated in disarray. Please make sure you’re not like them in the coming weeks, Cancerian.

If you want to engage in a strenuous action, an innovative experiment or a bold stroke, be meticulous in your preparations. Don’t scrimp on your props, accouterments and resources.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you give children the

option of choosing between food that’s mushy and food that’s crunchy, a majority will choose the crunchy stuff. It’s more exciting to their mouths, a more lively texture for their teeth and tongues to play with. This has nothing to do with nutritional value, of course. Soggy oatmeal may foster a kid’s well-being better than crispy potato chips.

Let’s apply this lesson to the way you feed your inner child in the coming weeks. Metaphorically speaking, I suggest you serve that precious part of you the kind of sustenance that’s both crunchy and healthy. In other words, make sure that what’s wholesome is also fun, and vice versa.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your mascot is a

famous white oak in Athens, Ga. It’s called the Tree That Owns Itself. According to legend, it belongs to no person or institution, but only to itself. The earth in which it’s planted and the land around it are also its sole possession. With this icon as your inspiration, I invite you to enhance and celebrate your sovereignty during the next seven months. What actions will enable you to own yourself more thoroughly? How can you boost your autonomy and become, more than ever before, the boss of you? It’s prime time to expedite this effort.

arrived just slightly ahead of the other three.

Apply this lesson to your activities in the coming week, please. There will be virtually no advantage to indulging in frenetic, erratic, breakneck exertion. Be steady and smooth and straightforward.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You will generate

lucky anomalies and helpful flukes if you use shortcuts, flee from boredom and work smarter rather than harder. On the other hand, you’ll drum up wearisome weirdness and fruitless flukes if you meander all over the place, lose yourself in far-off fantasies and act as if you have all the time in the world. Be brisk and concise, Scorpio. Avoid loafing and vacillating. Associate with bubbly activators who make you laugh and loosen your iron grip. It’s a favorable time to polish off a lot of practical details with a light touch.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Like all

explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.” Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön said that, and now I’m telling you. According to my divinations, a new frontier is calling to you. An unprecedented question has awakened. The urge to leave your familiar circle is increasingly tempting. I don’t know if you should you surrender to this brewing fascination. I don’t know if you will be able to gather the resources you would require to carry out your quest. What do you think? Will you be able to summon the necessary audacity?

Maybe the better inquiry is this: Do you vow to use all your soulful ingenuity to summon the necessary audacity?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Once I

witnessed a windstorm so severe that two 100-year-old trees were uprooted on the spot,” Mary Ruefle wrote in her book Madness, Rack, and Honey. “The next day, walking among the wreckage, I found the friable nests of birds, completely intact and unharmed on the ground.”

I think that’s a paradox you’d be wise to keep in mind, Capricorn. In the coming weeks, what’s most delicate and vulnerable about you will have more staying power than what’s massive and fixed. Trust your grace and tenderness more than your fierceness and forcefulness. They will make you as smart as you need to be.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aztec king

Montezuma II quenched his daily thirst with one specific beverage. He rarely drank anything else. It was ground cocoa beans mixed with chili peppers, water, vanilla and annatto. Spiced chocolate? You could call it that. The frothy brew was often served to him in golden goblets, each of which he used once and then hurled from his royal balcony into the lake below. He regarded this elixir as an aphrodisiac, and liked to quaff a few flagons before heading off to his harem. I bring this up, Aquarius, because the coming weeks will be one of those exceptional times when you have a poetic license to be almost Montezuma-like. What’s your personal equivalent of his primal chocolate, golden goblets and harem?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Unfortunately,

I’m pretty lucky,” my friend Rico said to me recently. He meant that his relentless good fortune constantly threatens to undermine his ambition. How can he be motivated to try harder and grow smarter and get stronger if life is always showering him with blessings? He almost wishes he could suffer more so that he would have more angst to push against. I hope you won’t fall under the spell of that twisted logic in the coming weeks, Pisces. This is a phase of your cycle when you’re likely to be the beneficiary of an extra-strong flow of help and serendipity.

Please say this affirmation as often as necessary: “Fortunately, I’m pretty lucky.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Police in Los Angeles

conducted an experiment on a 10-mile span of freeway. Drivers in three unmarked cars raced along as fast as they could while remaining in the same lane. The driver of the fourth car not only moved at top speed, but also changed lanes and jockeyed for position. Can you guess the results?

The car that weaved in and out of the traffic flow

you can call rob brezsny for your expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785. and don’t forget to check out rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.

Love on two wheels Sacramento is one of those towns filled with bike lovers. But there are folks passionate about bikes, and then there’s Doug Vincent, a bicycle advocate who got married on his bike. That’s dedication. He works a regular 9-to-5, which he commutes to on his bike of course. But with his spare time he helps out with several bike organizations like Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates and the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen. He even used to book the live music at the Bike Kitchen until a few years ago. He also organizes the biannual Cargo Bike Races, which is just a fun excuse for folks to ride their bikes around town carting pumpkins or whatever cargo they decide on for that particular race. Vincent is also a prominent local musician and has been since he moved to Sacramento in 1999. He’s most known currently as the bassist for Whiskey and Stitches. We asked him as many bike questions as we could, and a few music ones.

What kind of bike do you ride?

In my garage there are 13 bikes. My wife has, I think, seven of those. We met volunteering at the Bicycle Kitchen. We got married at the Bicycle Kitchen—on bikes. I have a mountain bike and a road bike and a cargo bike and a bar bike, one that I’m not afraid of getting stolen. I’ve been bicyclecommuting in Sacramento since ’99, when I moved here. It’s silly I guess. I want a bike for every occasion. So yeah, lots of bikes.

How bike-friendly is Sacramento?

When you’re inside of say Midtown, East Sac, Curtis Park, the city and surrounding areas, I would rate it really high as far as ease of getting around, places to lock your bike. It’s so flat. We have great weather, you can almost ride a bike year-round.

If I’m going to ride out to my mother’s house who lives out on Arden and Watt area, that is not bike-able. There’s not bike lanes. It’s a much scarier scenario.

Overall I think that Sacramento is such a bikeable area. Especially because we have the bike trail, where you don’t ever have to stop for a car.

Biggest faux pas for bicyclists?

I think for the most point there’s a lot of people active in trying to keep civil politeness alive. Not an “eff you” to the driver as you run a red light. There’s definitely cyclists out there that are blowing through stop signs, doing things kind of blatantly.

PHOTO by evan duran

It makes us all look bad. Same thing with cars, like they turn right in front of you, or they honk at you when you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. I think that’ll always exist. We’re all trying to get to the same place. It’s not bad, but you’ll see it.

Social media is one of those places where civil politeness is gone. Facebook creates animosity between groups. And someone will write, “Some bicyclist ran a stop sign this morning and I almost hit him, and when I honked at him, he flipped me off.”

You’ll see a whole bunch of people jump on that. And that hurts both the cars and the cyclists. What can you do about that?

What about encouraging more people to use their bikes?

That’s one of the big things about the cargo bike races, any of these, the Thanksgiving Day Ride. Or even May is Bike Month. All the agencies that I’ve worked for, I’ve told people, “If you’ve never commuted to work before, it’s May is Bike Month. I’ll commute with you. I’ll come out to your house and let’s bike to work.” I think there’s definitely a fear of, “What’s it going to be like? Where are the one-way streets? Is it going to be safe?” Getting more riders has always been the bigger plan. I’m a passionate bicyclist. I’m going to ride my bike whenever I can. I want to get that person that’s a little bit afraid, or is like, “5 miles, that sounds like a long way.” It’s not a long way.

You got married on your bike?

We rode the bike into the wedding, and friends actually hung cans and a sign saying “just married” and we “rode off” from the wedding, too. We were married in the Bicycle Kitchen with our bikes hanging above us and tied together by flowers. So it was very much a bicycle themed wedding. Our hotel room for the night was at the Citizen Hotel, so it wasn’t too far to ride, and they were gracious enough to let us store the long cargo bike in the lobby area. We didn’t have any trouble with the bikes, and the weather was very cooperative considering we did an 11/11/11 wedding. The cargo bike we used had a child’s seat in the back that I removed, then added some padding for my wife to sit on, but otherwise, it wasn’t much of a “conversion” to get it to work.

It was great, lots of guests arrived on bikes too.

Have you and your wife always been bound by bikes?

We met at the Bike Kitchen, My band Flounder was playing an anniversary show for the Bike Kitchen and my wife was a volunteer and announced the band. … A couple weeks later we ran into each other again at The Mercantile Saloon for a birthday of a mutual friend and well, many bikes, two kids and four-plus years later, here we are! Ω

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